Walking Corpse
by dazdnconfusd730
Summary: Ten years ago Naruto died in the fight against Orochimaru. At least...that's what everyone was told.
1. Of Returns

"What are you doing?"

"I'm walking," a smooth male voice said, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"To where?"

There was a pause. "To Konoha," he said, rolling his eyes upwards to try and see the large orange frog sitting on his head.

"Konoha? Why are you going back there? I thought you—"

"Why do you keep showing up, Gamakichi?" the man interrupted. "I haven't summoned you." He felt the frog's front flippers on his forehead as he shifted, so as to place his orange face upside down in his eyesight.

"I like the company," Gamakichi said flatly.

The man snorted. He would hardly consider himself good company. He knew that the frog really popped up randomly because he thought _he_ could use the company. Gamakichi was still in his eyesight, looking at him, and the man used his forefinger to gently push him back onto his head, a silent invitation to stay.

Neither frog nor man said anything for the larger portion of the day, mainly because the man had begun to run, leaping from tree to tree, and the frog had to concentrate his energy to hold onto his head. The man's hair was completely covered by a ninja forehead protector, which had been turned into a bandana, and without hair for traction it was harder to hang on.

The sun was dipping behind the horizon as he pulled to a sudden stop. Gamakichi would have flown from his head if he had been a normal frog. From his spot in a tree near the edge of the forest he could see the gates of Konoha, tall and proud—and closed.

With a sigh he leapt from the tree. Bright blue eyes looked upwards, trying to see the frog on his head. The orange amphibian got the hint.

"Call me if you need me, kid," the frog said, disappearing with a puff of smoke.

He snorted at the word kid, thinking the frog should have stopped using it five years ago when he reached the age of twenty, then, with a shake of his head he moved towards the gate.

The two guards stationed at the gate straightened as the stranger approached. They had never seen him before, and although he looked normal enough, in times such as these, with missing-nin becoming more and more common, they had to be careful. There was nothing distinguishing about him. He wore deep navy blue pants, a shuriken holster on his right thigh. His shirt was the same color as his pants and was short sleeved, revealing lightly muscled shoulders. His arms were wrapped from his biceps to the knuckles on his fingers. The bottom of his face was covered with a dark mask, very much like a jounin they knew, but, unlike him, this man's hair was completely covered by a his hitai-ate, which, they realized with surprise, carried the symbol of the leaf.

"Can we help you?" one of the guards, a chuunin, asked.

"I need to see the Hokage," the stranger stated, a deep voice coming from under his mask.

Both guards were transfixed by his eyes, a shade of blue neither had ever seen. He raised an eyebrow at their staring. With a cough, the chuunin that had spoken first pulled his attention away from his eyes.

"Is she expecting you?" he asked.

"I doubt it," he answered.

"I'm sorry but—"

"It's important."

The chuunin hesitated. There was urgency in the man's voice that made him believe him.

"We'll have an Anbu escort you," the chuunin finally said, nodding at his comrade, who disappeared in a puff of smoke. "We can't take any chances these days."

The stranger nodded. "I understand."

* * *

As a chuunin approached him after appearing in a puff of smoke he looked up, not that the lower ninja could tell since he had his mask on. 

"Sir," the chuunin said with a bow. "There is a stranger at the gate wishing to speak with the Hokage."

The Anbu captain didn't respond directly and the chuunin began to fidget, wondering if he had even heard him.

Finally, he spoke. "Did he say why?"

"No, sir, but he claims it's important. We thought it would be best to have an Anbu escort him through the village."

There was another pause before the captain spoke again, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. "We cannot allow every man claiming he needs to speak to the Hokage into the tower. If it were important she would be expecting him, and she has mentioned nothing of it. Go back to your post and tell him no."

This time it was the chuunin's turn to pause. "Yes, sir," he finally said before disappearing.

The chuunin these days weren't the brightest batch to ever grace Konoha, Sasuke thought, before continuing his rounds.

* * *

When the chuunin returned the sun had fully set and the first stars of the night had begun to twinkle. 

"I'm sorry, but the Anbu captain has refused to let you see the Hokage."

The stranger heaved a loud sigh. "This is what I get for trying to do this the nice way instead of just sneaking in," he muttered.

Both the chuunin tensed at his words.

"Okay then," the stranger said. "Thanks for your help."

The chuunins' eyes widened as the stranger crouched low and leapt high above them before disappearing over the gate.

* * *

"Uchiha-san!" 

Sasuke turned and saw the chuunin from earlier running towards him and rolled his eyes. He did enjoy the freedom his Anbu mask gave him.

"Uchiha-san, the man at the gate is in the village!"

"What?" Sasuke asked, his voice low.

"We informed him he could not enter and he leapt over the gate!"

Sasuke didn't wait for further elaboration; he quickly ran through the tower calling his Anbu to action and placing the building on full alert. After sending two Anbu to guard the Hokage, he made his way to the roof, watching his Anbu spread throughout the city, searching for the intruder. He didn't see anyone suspicious. "Sharingan," he said, a quick seal going along with the word. If he hadn't been wearing his mask anyone could have seen his normally deep gray eyes had turned blood red, three black dots around his pupils.

There, Sasuke thought, watching a navy blue blur dash along the rooftops, heading towards the tower. He was fast, and Sasuke knew his Anbu would not be able to spot him, not without the help of the Sharingan. He began running towards the blur, leaping from roof to roof to intercept him.

Sasuke made it into his path, effectively blocking the man from continuing any further. The man stopped running, his momentum carried him and he slid along the cement roof in a crouch until he gained traction and stopped.

The stranger stood, folding his arms across his chest. The Anbu in front of him was completely covered in a black robe. His hood was up and the robe billowed around him as the wind picked up. He almost laughed at the Anbu's mask, which was in the shape of a fox, small wooden ears sticking up.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stand in front of someone who's running?" the man asked.

Sasuke frowned, not that the intruder could see. There was a tone in his voice; he sounded almost—amused.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to enter someplace you haven't been invited?"

He couldn't see the intruder's mouth, but the way his eyes crinkled Sasuke thought he must have been grinning. He sucked in a breath when he caught sight of his eyes. A brilliant azure blue blinked at him; it was a shade he hadn't seen in years. Suddenly Sasuke hated this man. Only one person was allowed to have those color eyes and he was going to kill this man so he wouldn't have to look at them.

"As much as I'd love to play," the man said. "I must be off."

Sasuke tensed, dropping into a fighting stance as the man ran towards him. He wasn't prepared to see him leap over him, to the next roof, and continue running.

"Son of a—" Sasuke said, twisting around and rushing after him.

The man had made it into the tower before Sasuke caught up with him. How could he be so fast? Sasuke dove, catching the man around the waist. They fell forward, but the man was able to twist away from him and roll to his feet.

Sasuke twisted in midair to land steadily.

"You're quick," the intruder said, sounding impressed. "But I really don't have time for this." He dropped into a fighting stance. "Let's get this over with."

Those blue eyes were taunting him and rage Sasuke hadn't felt since Itachi was alive boiled within him.

Sasuke flew towards him, fist raised in a punch. The man dodged, aiming a high kick at his chest that Sasuke blocked. Fists and legs flew at one another, but the two men were almost equally matched. What the man lacked in the Sharingan he made up for with speed, and Sasuke found he couldn't lay a hit on him anymore than the other could on him. They leapt apart, breathing heavily.

"What do you want with the Hokage?" Sasuke asked, watching him carefully.

"Information."

"She wouldn't tell you anything."

The blue eyes rolled. "Not information from her. For her."

Sasuke frowned behind his mask, dropping his guard slightly. "For her?"

"Yes. Next time you should ask before trying to beat the shit out of me, teme."

All reason left him at that. "No one can call me that," he growled in a dangerously low voice.

The blue eyes widened as the Anbu suddenly began focusing his chakra to his left hand, so much that it began to glow blue and sounded as if birds had entered the hallway and started chirping.

His last coherent thought as the chakra-laden fist slammed him through the wall was, "Sasuke."

The Hokage and the two Anbu guarding her looked up in total surprise when a body crashed through the wall of her office. He slid along the floor, coming to a stop in front of her desk and out of her sight. Tsunade looked at the large hole in her wall to see her Anbu captain stride through, the remains of chakra still on his fist. All of those in the office were thankful he had his mask on, for the rage they could feel radiating from him made none of them eager to see the look on his face.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Is this the intruder?" she asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

The Anbu captain nodded, but he suddenly tensed when the body in front of her desk, who should by all rights be unconscious for a few weeks, if not dead, began to move. The four people in the room watched in amazement as the navy blue clad man stood shakily.

"Chidori? Overkill for calling you a bastard, don't you think?"

Sasuke was extremely grateful for his mask, which hid the fact that he was gaping openmouthed at the man who didn't seem to have a mark on him. He was so confused the fact that the man knew the name of his jutsu went completely unnoticed. He recovered himself.

"Shall I try it again?" Sasuke growled, chakra gathering again.

The man turned from him. "Tsunade-baba," he said quietly to the gaping woman behind her desk. "I need to speak with you."

She stiffened at the name, and then quickly stood. "Uchiha, that's enough!"

The chakra immediately dissipated.

"Hokage-sama?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"The two of you, leave me," she said to the other Anbu. "Sasuke, find Jiraiya."

The three Anbu obviously didn't understand, but they did as they were told.

"What are you doing back, brat?" she asked when the Anbu were gone. Her voice was rough, but it was covering for some emotions the man couldn't decipher.

He played along. "Don't growl at me like it's my fault," he said, crossing his arms. "I wasn't planning on coming back."

"Tsunade, what's going on?" A gruff voice asked. Naruto looked over to the hole in the wall, watching as a tall sturdy man with long white hair steeped through. He had red lines running down his cheeks, looking like red tear streaks.

"Hey, Ero sennin," the man said with a wave.

Jiraiya stopped mid-walk and looked confusedly between the masked man and Tsunade. The twisted expression on her face was enough to tell him that nickname was not just a coincidence. "What are you doing here?" he whispered, resisting the urge to go hug the man. It seemed that Tsunade was doing the same.

"What a welcome," the blue-eyed man muttered.

Sasuke came in from behind Jiraiya, moving over to the corner of the office and standing there quietly. Naruto couldn't see his face, but he could tell by the other man's posture that he was brooding. He smiled slightly under his mask.

"Some things have been going on, I thought they should be brought to your attention."

"We're aware of the sudden amount of missing nins from all of the hidden villages. That's why you had such trouble getting to me," Tsunade said.

"Does the fact that I did get to you tell you anything about your security?" Naruto said cheekily. Sasuke straightened and was about to lunge at him when Tsunade held up a hand. Naruto continued. "Anyway, I'd have been severely concerned if you weren't aware of the situation. The question is, do you know _where _the missing nins are?"

No one spoke.

"Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki was disbanded after the death of Itachi and the apprehension of five of the S-class nins," Sasuke said. As a key player in the entire affair he had witnessed the end of Akatsuki.

"I know," Naruto said, pulling something from one of the pouches around his waist. It was a forehead protector. He tossed it onto Tsunade's desk and she picked it up to examine it.

"I was attacked the other day by a shinobi wearing this. He's one of Konoha's recent missing nins."

Tsunade handed the hitai-ate to Jiraiya, a grim expression on her face. Sasuke could see the long horizontal scratch through the leaf symbol.

"Why did he attack you?" Jiraiya asked.

"Actually there were about four of them. They approached me first. They're recruiting, that's why there's the sudden excess of missing nins. When I refused, they attacked."

"You didn't…want to—" Tsunade seemed to stumble over her words.

"Of course not!" he said loudly. "Just because the fox is evil doesn't mean I am! It hasn't taken me over, Tsunade-baba!"

Sasuke stilled. In a flash he had pulled off his Anbu mask and had the other man pinned up against the wall by his neck. Reaching up he pulled down the other man's mask. His blue eyes had widened, but he didn't struggle, mainly because he could barely breathe. Sasuke inhaled sharply when he saw the whisker marks he hadn't seen for ten years. "You," he hissed, hand tightening as red eyes bore into blue. "Are supposed to be _dead_." He was so close Naruto could feel his breath on his face, which served to remind him about his own lack of air.

"He will be if you don't let him breathe, Sasuke," Jiraiya said.

Realizing how tight his grip had become Sasuke quickly released him. Naruto coughed, glaring at him and rubbing his neck.

"So," Jiraiya said after Naruto regained his breath. "Akatsuki sought you out again?"

"They did before, no reason to assume they wouldn't this time around."

"How did they know you're alive?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, since only you and Ero Sennin knew, and I don't believe you would have told anyone, my only guess would be that the man everyone believes killed me isn't quite as dead as we thought, and is correcting a few rumors."

"Orochimaru," Tsunade and Jiraiya said.

"The missing nin are on the move. They've been moving steadily through the Fire Country. If Orochimaru is leading them I have no doubt they are on their way here." He glanced at Sasuke who was glaring at the floor with clenched fists.

"Okay," Tsunade said a while later. "None of this is to be repeated. We do not need a panic on our hands. I will inform the jounin. Sasuke, put your Anbu on full alert."

Naruto pulled up his facemask and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.

"Wherever the wind may take me?" Naruto said.

"You can't leave Konoha," Tsunade told him.

"_What_?" Naruto said angrily. "I came back here to warn you, not to be taken prisoner."

"We're not taking you prisoner, Naruto, but if Orochimaru is coming to attack we could use your help. Also, you have to understand, if you leave and Akatsuki gets their hands on you—"

"Right," Naruto interrupted, his voice cold. "I forgot what a powerful _weapon_ I am."

Sasuke noticed that despite his anger, the look in his eyes was—hurt?

"Where am I going to stay? A box on the street?"

Tsunade paused. She hadn't given much thought to that.

"You can stay with me," Sasuke spoke up, and everyone turned to him in surprise. All of them knew Sasuke was not the most social of people.

"Good," Tsunade said, settling the matter.

Naruto looked around the room, the beginnings of panic working in his chest. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to stay. He knew they wouldn't let him leave easily. Sasuke and two sannin were formidable opponents and while he could probably outrun them, if they caught him he wouldn't be afforded the courtesy of staying with Sasuke. He'd be thrown into a cell for who knew how long.

With a defeated sigh he nodded. Perhaps he could slip away once he was at Sasuke's.

* * *

They hadn't spoken the entire walk to Sasuke's. 

It was late at night and they ran into no one, something both men were thankful for. It was likely they wouldn't have been bothered, however, since Sasuke had managed to remain as unapproachable as ever, especially after becoming an Anbu. Only a few people still attempted to reach out to him, mainly Sakura, a few other shinobi's they had been genin with, and, of course, Kakashi.

Naruto looked around when they entered the gates of what he could only assume had been a lively community of Uchiha at one point. It was quiet and empty, and he felt sad, not only for the people who had once lived here, but also for the man walking beside him, who remained in this deserted little corner of Konoha alone.

Naruto followed Sasuke into his house, being led through the living room and into the kitchen that was next to it. The house had a sterile, unused feeling to it.

Naruto sat down at the kitchen table with a sigh, pulling his mask down.

Sasuke had put his Anbu mask on before they left the tower and now the fox face was turned towards Naruto.

"If you're going to stare at me at least have the courtesy to do it without the mask," Naruto said, not looking at the Anbu that stood across the room.

There was a pause and Sasuke pulled the wooden mask from his face, setting it on the counter he was leaning against. Naruto placed his elbows on the table, his head hung as he massaged the back of his neck. Sasuke said nothing.

"How long have you been an Anbu?" Naruto finally broke the silence.

"Five years."

"Congratulations."

"Where have you been?" Sasuke said roughly, surprising him.

Blue eyes looked up, narrowed in thought. Sasuke crossed his arms, showing his impatience, but said nothing.

"I've been around. Mostly in the fire country."

Sasuke glared at him. "Why didn't you come back? You let us believe you were dead."

Naruto didn't answer right away, a guarded expression on his face. "It was better that way," he said.

"What could possibly be important enough to let us think you were dead? Do you have any idea what people went through? Iruka, Sakura, Kakashi—" He stopped abruptly, but Naruto knew what the next word would have been. _Me_.

"It's a long story, Sasuke."

Black eyes flared in anger and Sasuke crossed the room in a flash, slamming his palms into the table in front of Naruto, who shrank back in surprise. "That's not a good enough answer, dobe," he hissed.

Naruto's eyes widened then narrowed angrily as Sasuke's tone and insult got the desired rise out of him. "Don't act like I owe you explanations, teme," he spat out. "You never thought twice about me back then, don't try to pretend we're friends now."

Sasuke straightened, and for a brief moment Naruto thought he looked hurt, but his general expression of indifference returned so quickly that Naruto had to assume he'd imagined it.

"So what really happened?" Sasuke asked, his voice calm once more. "Obviously Orochimaru didn't kill you."

"Sasuke," Naruto said softly, staring at his hands. "I don't want—I can't talk about this. I don't want to think, I don't want to remember. I did what I had to do. Please," he whispered. "Please just drop it."

Sasuke didn't bother to try and hide the surprise on his face; Naruto wasn't looking at him anyway. As much as Naruto's words made him even more curious than before, his tone and his broken voice stalled all questions Sasuke had. Naruto's personality seemed drained. He was quiet now, reflective. Nothing like the loud mouth dobe he'd known as a teenager.

Why had he changed?

He didn't press further, but turned, pulling some things out of his barely used cupboards.

Naruto didn't look up until a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. He stared up at Sasuke, confused. The other man sat down across from him, digging into his own bowl of ramen, not meeting Naruto's eyes. With a grin, Naruto picked up his chopsticks.

* * *

"Ano sa! Ano sa! What about Neji?" 

Sasuke sighed in annoyance. As they ate, Naruto had begun to ask him about his old friends and Sasuke had been updating him for the last hour on the lives of Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Lee. Thinking of all the others Naruto could ask about made Sasuke mentally groan.

"Dobe, aren't you tired or something?" he asked, all the while inwardly pleased that he was acting more like the Naruto he knew.

"No," Naruto said flippantly. "I usually only sleep for three or four hours near dawn."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows.

Noting his confusion, Naruto explained. "Early morning, less likely to get attacked."

"Do you get attacked a lot?" Sasuke asked.

"Occasionally," he said. "More so since Akatsuki's revival. They come around once a week or so. I'm waiting for them to send someone stronger though, you would think they'd get that I'm not coming without being forced."

Sasuke frowned but made no comment.

"If you're tired, Sasuke, don't let me keep you up. I'll go train or something."

It was said extremely casually. Sasuke looked at him quickly.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Going to try and sneak off?"

Blue eyes widened.

"Naruto, I can't let you leave. Tsunade ordered it."

"What does that old hag know?" Naruto asked angrily, standing from his seat.

"She doesn't want you caught by Akatsuki," Sasuke said, growing angry as well. "She wants to protect you, you ungrateful idiot."

"She wants to protect the village," Naruto snapped. "It's the fox she cares about, not Naruto. And she _knows_ that it's better if I leave. Konoha is safer."

"What?" Sasuke asked said, not understanding what the other man meant.

"Nothing," Naruto said, turning. "I'm leaving. I didn't want to come back here and I sure as hell have no intention of staying." He stalked from the kitchen and towards the door. He stopped when Sasuke appeared in front of him, blocking his exit.

"Get out of my way, Sasuke," Naruto growled.

"I already told you, dobe, I can't let you leave."

"I won't ask you again."

Sasuke crossed his arms, unmoved. He was completely surprised when Naruto turned and sped towards the open window in his living room, leaping out.

"Dobe!" he yelled, following.

Naruto was fast, Sasuke knew, but Sasuke was by no means slow. With a quick seal his eyes were red and he could see Naruto, not far ahead, heading towards the forest that surrounded the training grounds. With a leap he was on the rooftops trailing the navy blue blur in front of him. They made it from the rooftops to trees and with a burst of speed Sasuke caught up to the other man, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him back onto the tree limb before he could continue.

With a surprised "Oof" Naruto landed next to Sasuke. They glared at one another until Sasuke finally said. "You've gotten fast."

"Cut the crap, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I want to get out of here before dawn."

"I guess we'd better get started then," Sasuke said, dropping into his fighting stance.

"I don't want to fight you," Naruto said.

"Afraid?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"Not of you. For you."

"Confident aren't we?" Sasuke asked.

"Some things never change," Naruto said, blue eyes twinkling for a moment, the only part of Naruto's face Sasuke could see since the man had pulled him mask back up. He dropped into his own stance. "Okay, Anbu captain. Let's go."

They started quickly, flying at one another. Both were fast. Sasuke aimed a punch at Naruto's jaw and Naruto ducked, using his momentum to swing around, attempting to kick the Anbu's legs out from under him. Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to dodge and he leapt to another tree limb in surprise as Naruto had pulled out several shuriken and sent them into the spot he had been standing on.

Nothing would be accomplished fighting close range, Sasuke knew. They'd both continue blocking and dodging. Their fight earlier in the night had proved that.

"In that case," Sasuke muttered. His fingers flew into familiar seals. "Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

With a deep inhalation he sent a ball of flame at the other man and with wide eyes watched as Naruto didn't dodge. The fireball hit him full on and Sasuke watched anxiously as the smoke cleared, fearing he had hurt Naruto. He wanted to stop him, not kill him. He'd never expected Naruto not to dodge. As the smoke cleared, Naruto's figure became visible, still in his crouched position, head down and not looking at him. He stood, folding his arms over his chest. When Naruto met his gaze Sasuke almost gasped. The red eyes of the Kyuubi were staring at him, but as he watched they slowly receded to the brilliant blue Sasuke knew.

Naruto laughed. "Come on, Sasuke, is that all you've got?"

"Your eyes—" Sasuke said.

Naruto winked at him "Are we done yet? I'd like to get going."

"You're not leaving!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the normally stoic boy's outburst.

"You can't do this. You can't come back after ten years of being _dead_ and leave again."

"Sasuke—"

"I won't let you leave again," Sasuke said. "When I left you came after me. I almost killed you, but for some reason, even when I was beyond hope, you believed in me. I've spent the past ten years knowing that your death was my fault, that my decisions killed you. Now you're alive and I refuse to let you disappear again."

Naruto looked away from him, and Sasuke couldn't tell if he'd gotten through to him or not. He nearly started in surprise when the blue eyes turned on him suddenly, glaring coldly.

"How selfish," he said. "I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Here. Why don't you understand that? I can't stay here. It's too dangerous. Besides, no one wants me here. I saw my funeral—I saw who went. More importantly, I saw who didn't. Three-quarters of the village, Sasuke. Three-quarters of the village celebrated my 'death.'" Even with the mask on Sasuke could see the sneer on his face. "In Konoha, I'm Kyuubi. I'm a monster. A weapon to be used until I'm deemed too dangerous and sent on my merry way." He had to get Sasuke to let him leave, and if this was the only way, then so be it. "I hate this village and everyone in it. Including you."

It was quiet for a long time before Sasuke finally spoke.

"So why did you come back to warn us? If you hate us so much, why not just leave us to our destruction?"

Naruto looked conflicted for a moment before settling on angry. He leapt at Sasuke and they resumed their dance of blocking and dodging.

"I don't know what you are to the village," Sasuke grunted as they fought. "But to me, you're Naruto. My loud, blonde, dobe."

If Naruto heard him, he didn't respond, continuing his assault. It was only when Sasuke saw tears in his blue eyes did he realize Naruto had indeed heard his words. The tears distracted him, and Naruto finally managed to land a powerful punch, sending the Anbu flying off the tree branch and slamming his head painfully hard into the trunk of the tree behind him, before falling heavily to the ground, unconscious.

Naruto stood on the limb in surprise. He wiped his eyes and jumped down from the tree, landing in a crouch next to Sasuke. His dark hair was splayed about the grass contrasting with his pale skin. His breathing was wheezy, it sounded like perhaps he'd broken a rib. Naruto stood, turning his back on Sasuke and preparing to leap off into the trees. By the time Sasuke woke he would have put enough distance between him and Konoha that he wouldn't be found.

* * *

A/N: I was hit with the Naruto plot bunny and it turned into the Naruto plot elephant. This is going to be another one of those long ones, I can tell already. There may be possible Sasuke/Naruto later on, who knows, the characters write themselves. 

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Kakashi would wear much less clothing and do things naughtier than read Icha Icha Paradise. Since he's usually fully covered up you can assume Naruto isn't mine.


	2. Of Spars and Meetings

Sasuke awoke with a groan. Sunlight cut into his eyes like a knife the minute he'd opened them and the headache he'd had upon waking intensified. His whole body hurt, his head and chest especially. He confusedly looked around his room, wondering how he got into his bed.

He shot up into a sitting position, remembering the fight. Naruto obviously had won. "Naruto!"

He had to catch up to him, try and get him back. Ignoring his pain, he tossed the covers aside, jumping out of bed. He hurriedly pulled his pants on and grabbed his shirt, running into the hallway. He never even saw the other person in front of him before he crashed into him, sending them both flying to the ground in a heap.

It took Sasuke a moment to do anything, for the pain in his ribs became mind shattering at the collision. Taking deep breaths, he finally lifted his head from the other man's chest. His dark eyes widened as he looked into blue eyes and a whiskered face. The blonde locks Sasuke knew he had were still under his hitai-ate.

"Naruto—"

"Sasuke, with those special eyes of yours you would think you'd be able to look where you're going in your own house," Naruto said, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

"I thought you were—"

"I was." Naruto looked to the side, suddenly finding the bottom of the wall to be extremely interesting. "But I couldn't just leave you unconscious in the forest." He turned back to Sasuke, who's face remained hovering over him, and smiled timidly.

They stared at one another, Sasuke's upper body rising and falling as Naruto breathed. It was then Sasuke realized their close proximity and, flushing, he quickly removed himself. As soon as he sat up he hissed, his ribs protesting painfully at the movement.

"You shouldn't jar yourself like that," Naruto chastised, sitting up as well. He stood before leaning over and helping Sasuke to his feet. The dark haired man draped an arm over his abdomen, and it was then he noticed the bandages that had been wrapped around his torso. He looked questioningly at Naruto, who didn't meet his gaze as he helped Sasuke back to his room.

When Sasuke was sitting on the edge of his bed, Naruto finally spoke. "Listen, I'm—"

"Sasuke-kun," a voice called out. Sasuke turned to see his former sensei crouching on his windowsill. His silver hair flew about as haphazardly as always and his one visible lazy eye was trained on him.

Turning back to Naruto he noticed the other man had somehow managed to pull up his mask, effectively hiding most of his face and the whiskers that would give him away.

Sasuke sighed; any talk they were about to have was over. "What, Kakashi?" he said, impatiently.

Kakashi seemed to be amused, but of course, one never could tell when the only visible part of the jounin's face was his right eye. "Such disrespect for your elders," he said, shaking his head. "Tsunade-sama sent me to get you, an emergency meeting has been called to discuss new information she's received."

His eye moved over to Naruto, who was leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed. "Who's your houseguest?" he asked.

The quick glance Naruto shot him was enough for Sasuke to understand he didn't want his presence in Konoha known.

"A temporary visitor. The Hokage asked me to let him stay while he is in Konoha."

Kakashi wasn't quite satisfied with that answer. He saw the bandages the Anbu had on, and his sharp eye hadn't missed the look the mysterious man had given Sasuke. Also, why would a visitor be wearing the Konoha hitai-ate? He decided to let it go for now, opting to say, "Welcome to Konoha. I like your mask."

"Arigato," the other replied with a slight bow. "Yours is very nice as well."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Kakashi's attention returned to Sasuke, who stood rather jerkily. He was obviously in a bit of pain.

"I'll be there in a moment," he told the jounin, pulling on his shirt. There was an obvious note of dismissal in his tone.

Kakashi nodded, hesitating. He wanted to know more about this houseguest and Sasuke's injury; however, as much as he was loath to admit it, Sasuke was his superior. Because he was the younger man's former sensei Kakashi could often get away with questioning him, but there were days his patience was not to be trifled with, and Kakashi could sense this was one of them. "I'll inform the Hokage," he told Sasuke before disappearing from the windowsill with one last glance at the masked man.

When he was gone Naruto spoke, but he left his mask in place, Sasuke noted. "He was certainly obedient, wasn't he?"

"I outrank him," Sasuke said, slowly putting on his Anbu uniform.

Naruto didn't speak again while Sasuke finished dressing. The dark haired man turned to him suddenly, slipping on his black robes. "Are you going to try and leave again?" he asked, watching him unblinkingly.

Naruto appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose I should at least wait until you heal so you won't kill yourself coming after me in an injured condition," he finally said, his eyes crinkling in what was unmistakably a grin.

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. He hadn't expected Naruto to cave so quickly and he hadn't expected the other man would realize that if he tried to leave again Sasuke would follow.

"You'll stay?" he finally said.

"For now, yes. Only if you promise not to tell anyone else I'm here."

Sasuke grunted in agreement, an action so like him Naruto nearly laughed. "I better not come back to find an empty house."

"I'm not going anywhere, Sasuke, I promise. I don't take back my words," he said. "That's my ninja way."

* * *

Who's at Sasuke's house?" 

Tsunade sighed, looking up at the jounin who'd just appeared in her office. She hadn't decided how to go about Naruto's return, but she and Jiraiya both agreed that the fewer people that knew the better. They knew Naruto would want to leave as soon as possible once this was over and if everyone knew he was alive it would make it more than a little difficult for him. It was bad enough Sasuke knew.

The young man had taken the news of Naruto's death extremely hard and they all knew he blamed himself. Now that he knew Naruto was alive, Tsunade wondered if he'd let him go easily.

"Who did Sasuke say was at his house?" she asked carefully. If Kakashi didn't know she certainly wasn't going to enlighten him.

"A temporary visitor."

"Yes," Tsunade said, going back to her paper work. "That's who he is."

"What's his name? He's got a Konoha hitai-ate. Should we know him?"

"He's a temporary visitor, Kakashi. Just leave it at that."

The jounin frowned, completely unsatisfied.

There was a poof and Sasuke appeared, only recognizable by his fox Anbu mask.

"Sasuke." Tsunade nodded in acknowledgment. She looked around. "Where's…?"

"Was he supposed to come?" Sasuke asked.

"You left him _alone_?" Tsunade said, standing quickly. "He'll run."

"He's not going anywhere," Sasuke said firmly.

"How do you know?"

"He gave me his word," Sasuke said.

Tsunade stilled.

'_A man's words should never be taken back.'_

'_I won't take my words back. That is my ninja way.'_

"Fine," she said, taking her seat.

Kakashi, although he remained silent, watched the exchange with great interest.

Jiraiya walked into the office, ignoring the door and opting to use the hole Sasuke had made the night before.

"Tsunade, everyone's gathered for the meeting."

Kakashi, having just appeared in her office, hadn't noticed the large gaping hole until then.

"What—happened to your wall?"

"Your former student and your crazy jutsu," Tsunade said, standing and walking to Jiraiya.

Kakashi looked quickly at Sasuke, who stood with his arms crossed. His Anbu mask made him look anything but repentant. Sasuke had used Chidori last night? What was going on?

"Come on," Jiraiya said, stepping back through the hole.

Sasuke moved to follow, saying nothing and grimacing behind his mask as his ribs ached.

"Hold on," Tsunade said, raising a hand. "Sasuke, come here."

The Anbu walked slowly to her. When he stood in front of her she frowned.

"Take off your robes."

Jiraiya and Kakashi watched in confusion. Sasuke took off his robes, revealing the standard Anbu uniform, a silver colored sleeveless shirt over top a high necked black one and black pants. Black arm protectors were pulled up to his biceps, leaving just enough of his arm exposed to show the Anbu tattoo. Sasuke didn't remove his mask.

Lifting his shirts, Tsunade looked at the bandages. "What happened?" she asked, placing her hand lightly on his wrapped torso.

"We had a—spar," was his answer. The hesitation wasn't missed by anyone in the room.

"Rough spar," Tsunade commented. "He broke two of your ribs."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose. So that man had injured Sasuke. Getting hurt was a rare occurrence for Sasuke since the immergence of the third wheel of his sharingan. Tsunade and Jiraiya looked grim.

Sasuke said nothing.

Tsunade's hand began to glow and Sasuke could feel the warmth of her chakra. When the glow stopped the pain was gone. After pulling his robes back on, Sasuke bowed. "Arigato, Tsunade-sama."

She nodded and they made their way out of the office, heading to the meeting. Kakashi followed, watching Sasuke, now more curious than ever.

* * *

Naruto wondered what Sasuke did in his free time. His house was scarcely furnished, there was no TV to speak of, and the house was immaculate almost to the point that it felt unlived in, so it wasn't even like he could clean to pass the time. 

But Naruto knew Sasuke, at least, he had ten years before, and it wasn't farfetched to assume that all of his free time was spent training.

Training was never a bad idea, Naruto concluded, and, after making sure his hair and face were covered, he made his way to the training grounds across rooftops. The only indication that he was moving was the faint breeze the villagers felt as he passed.

He landed soundlessly on the grass at the training grounds, looking around. It wasn't much different from the years before.

Yelling drew his attention to the far end of the field.

"I will not let you have him, forehead girl!" a blonde woman with her hair pulled into a high ponytail screamed. Ino wore the exact same thing she did when she was younger, but she had a chuunin vest on.

"Shut up, Ino-pig, he'd never love you!"

Naruto nearly groaned. They were _still_ fighting over Sasuke? Did they not get his complete lack of interest in anyone? Then again, he thought with a frown, it had been ten years. Maybe Sasuke was interested in one of them. Or someone else. He knew nothing of the raven haired man's life.

Naruto almost fell over at the next words from the women. "Lee is mine, Ino-pig!"

Sakura still looked the same. She'd grown her pink hair long again after Sasuke had left Konoha when they were twelve, and it cascaded down to the small of her back now, same as it had when they were sixteen. Her attire was different; she still wore a sleeveless dress, similar in style to her old one, but it was a deep navy blue and went well with the chuunin vest she wore over top of it. He smiled at the sight of the vest, he was glad for her.

But they were fighting over Lee?

Ino paused at Sakura's words. "Lee? I don't want Lee! But I won't let you have Shikamaru!"

Naruto had to physically bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.

"Shikamaru! Why would I want that lazy jounin?"

Ino sighed, twisting a strand of her hair from her long ponytail around a finger. "Sakura, this doesn't work when we're not fighting over the same guy."

The strawberry haired girl laughed. "You're right. Let's just spar."

Naruto watched the women fight. They used mostly Taijutsu, but occasionally they would use basic techniques, replacements or clones. Sakura's skills had improved since he'd last seen her. She was excellent at using the clones and replacements to get in close to Ino and attack. Ino, however, had wonderful reaction time and managed to slash the pink haired woman's arm with a kunai.

Naruto was surprised they were getting so vicious. Leaping back, Sakura pulled out several shuriken and sent them flying at Ino, who dodged, but was taken by surprise when Sakura followed the throwing stars, coming at her with a kunai. Using her kunai to block, they remained clashed, struggling against one another. Finally Ino ducked, kicking her foot out and swiping Sakura's legs from under her.

Sakura landed on her back with a loud thump. "That hurt, Ino-pig!" Sakura said from the ground. Naruto watched her sit up and place a glowing hand onto her slashed arm, healing it. So Tsunade must have continued with her training.

Ino shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to work on your inside guard, forehead girl."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's try again," Sakura said, rolling her eyes and looking away. It was then her eyes fell on Naruto and she started in surprise. "Hello!" she called, waving him over.

Naruto thought about running away, but even he could see how suspicious a stranger running off would look. Shoving his hands into his pockets he walked over to the two women. "Hey," he said, nodding at them.

Ino walked over and stood next to Sakura. Naruto raised an eyebrow as the blonde gave him a once over.

"Do you need the training grounds?" Sakura asked, staring into his brilliant blue eyes. They were so much like—

"No," I was just going to work over there," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.

"So you were being a hentai and watching two sweaty women fight it out?" Ino asked, grinning.

"Ino!" Sakura said, while Naruto spluttered. "Ignore her," she said to him. "I don't think I've seen you around before."

"I'm just visiting for a bit," Naruto said.

"But you have a Konoha hitai-ate," Ino pointed out.

Naruto shrugged. "I travel a lot."

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances but made no comment.

"So do you want to spar with us?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, no, I—"

"What level are you?" Ino asked, noticing he had no vest to distinguish his skill level.

Naruto paused. What level was he indeed. "Well…technically, I'm a chuunin." He wondered vaguely what had happened to his vest after he'd left.

"Perfect!" Sakura said. "We'll be evenly matched."

"No, I don't think—"

"What's the matter?" Ino asked. "Afraid you'll be beaten by two girls?"

Naruto smiled. Much about him may have changed in the past ten years, but his competitive nature had never completely diminished. "Alright. Let's go."

The women backed off and Naruto found himself between them. One could consider two on one unfair, but Naruto knew at this point he was definitely higher than the chuunin level.

"Okay, Sakura, let's go!" Ino said, raising her arms. One hand was fisted and pulled close to her for a guard; the other was open, her palm facing him.

"Right!" Sakura said, dropping into her fighting stance.

Naruto remained relaxed. "You ladies done encouraging each other?" He was standing sideways in order to keep them both in his line of vision.

They both growled and ran towards him, remarkably similar. They seemed to be able to gauge one another's thoughts, for as Sakura aimed a punch for his face, Ino lowered herself to kick his legs out from under him. He blocked the punch with his left arm and leapt above Ino's legs. He flipped away, placing both women in front of him. They were both surprised. They'd expected to at least connect one hit.

With an almost imperceptible nod to one another they went at him again, opting to attack with speed. They did outnumber him, so he wouldn't be able to block everything they threw at him. They rushed him, using quick combos that he simply blocked, using one hand per woman. His speed and reflexes were amazing and Sakura had to duck and roll away when he freed himself from Ino's attack and decided to attack her.

Using his distraction with Sakura to her advantage, Ino planted her right foot into the ground, spinning and aiming a devastating roundhouse kick to his abdomen. She and Sakura could only blink when he turned and caught her by the ankle, using her momentum to spin her and toss her away, into Sakura. They both hit the ground painfully. Groaning, Ino sat up, and Sakura pushed the blonde off her lap.

"He's too fast," Ino panted, rubbing her ankle. "He might even be Saskue-kun's speed." They looked over to the man, who was waiting for them to get up. "He's not even winded!" Ino said.

Sakura nodded, wiping the sweat from her face, leaving a dirt smudge across her cheek. "We need a way to slow him down," she said.

"Give up?" he called to them.

"Leave it to me," Ino said with a grin, struggling to her feet. "We'll need a distraction though."

Sakura smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

Naruto watched them closely. It seemed they'd stopped underestimating him and had begun to plan something.

Sakura suddenly ran at him, pulling out two kunai.

"Whoa, getting serious are we?" he said.

She leapt into the air, tossing one kunai at him. He jumped away, keeping his eyes on her as she flew over his head, ready to throw other kunai. He kept his back to Ino, for he didn't sense her coming closer. What he failed to notice was the blonde on her knees, her fingers ready in a seal.

When Ino slumped forward and the man stilled, Sakura cheered. Landing gracefully on the grass she pocketed her kunai and pulled out some rope. Now to tie the guy up.

* * *

Something wasn't right. Ino watched as thousands of images, presumably the man's memories, blurred past her too fast for her to see. Abruptly, the colors stopped and she was left in darkness. What was going on? Why didn't she have control over his body? 

She was beginning to panic. She couldn't see anything, and without the use of the man's fingers she couldn't return to her body.

Suddenly, a low breathing filled her hearing. She whirled around, heartbeat quickening. "Who's there?"

There was a clicking noise, reminiscent to a cat's claws on tile as it prowled a kitchen. Her breaths were fast now.

"Are you afraid?" a deep voice asked from the darkness. She trembled. The voice seemed to come from every direction at once.

"Who are you?" she asked firmly, ignoring her shaking hands.

"Ino," a gentle voice said. She whipped around to see the man she was fighting. He was all she could see; everything else remained black.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You shouldn't be here," he said.

As she watched, the darkness behind him began to glow and suddenly there were two huge fiery eyes behind them, their burning gaze directed at her. She backed away in fear, biting back a scream.

"Foolish girl," the first voice said. "You can't posses the possessed."

With that she felt a horrible jolt, and her consciousness flew back to her own body.

Sakura looked at her in surprise. She was just moving to tie him up.

Ino scrambled backwards, trying to distance herself from the man, who was shaking himself from a daze.

"What _are _you?" she whispered.

Sakura gaped at her, rope hanging loosely in her hands. The man's soft blue eyes met her frightened gaze, his expression unreadable under the mask.

"Thanks for the spar," he finally said. "I need to get going."

Ino and Sakura watched him walk away, before leaping into the trees and out of their sight.

"What was _that_ all about?" Sakura asked.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Naruto berated himself, heading back to Sasuke's. "How could I forget that crazy skill of Ino's?" 

He didn't know who knew about Kyuubi. Maybe after his "death" it had become common knowledge? If that was the case it wouldn't take long for Ino to figure out who he was, especially if she got Sakura's opinion.

Alighting on Sasuke's roof he leapt down and into an open living room window.

Sasuke was pacing the living room. His robes were draped over the couch and his fox mask was tossed in the armchair next to it.

"How was the meeting?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke turned towards him, looking angry. Naruto stepped back towards the window, ready to make an escape if needed.

"Where were you?"

"I went training," Naruto responded. "I didn't know I was confined to the house."

Sasuke seemed to calm down. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Sasuke, I told you, I'm not going anywhere yet."

Sasuke nodded and began to walk towards the kitchen.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, calling the other man's attention back to him. "Who from our generation knows that—" He wasn't sure how to phrase the question. "Kyuubi," he finally said.

Sasuke frowned at him. "Only me and Shikamaru, as far as I know."

"Shikamaru?" Sasuke had seen it enough times to put two and two together. But how would Shikamaru know?

"He was your commanding officer enough that it was information he needed to be aware of."

Naruto nodded, thinking. "So no one else knows? Not even Sakura?"

Sasuke shook his head. "We were forbidden to talk about it, even after your 'death.' Why?" He watched Naruto suspiciously, trying to gauge what he was thinking.

"No reason!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Just wondering. Can we eat lunch?" He walked past Sasuke and into the kitchen. Sasuke stared after him, finally following him.

Naruto was balancing on the back two legs of his chair when Sasuke walked into the kitchen. "You seem better," Naruto commented, watching him move with ease.

"Tsunade," Sasuke grunted as an explanation.

"Sasuke-kun!" A familiar feminine voice rang through the house.

"Shit!" Naruto said, startled to hear her. He lost his balance and fell backwards, landing in a clatter on the floor.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto before looking into the living room to see Sakura standing by the open window. Why did ninjas ignore the door? He needed to start locking his windows.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, seeing him. "There's a weird guy in the village," she said, walking towards him. "He's very suspicious and Ino says there's something in—"

There was a groan and Sakura paused, looking towards the floor where Naruto was pulling himself into a sitting position. She gasped. "You!" she said. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to kill Sasuke?"

Naruto stood and twisted his neck, cracking it with a loud pop. Both Sasuke and Sakura flinched. Righting the chair, he sat down, looking up at them.

Catching from Naruto's expression that he wasn't going to be much use in this conversation, Sasuke spoke up. "Sakura, he's staying with me for a while."

"He…what?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded. There was a pause. "Sasuke-kun, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, who appeared to be feigning innocence under his mask. With a sigh he followed Sakura unto the living room. Naruto could hear them talking in low tones. A few minutes later he heard the sound of the door and when Sasuke returned to the kitchen he was alone.

"So that's why you wanted to know if anyone knew about Kyuubi."

Naruto shrugged.

"You apparently scared the shit out of Ino," Sasuke told him.

"Maybe next time she'll think twice about poking around in people's heads."

"Naruto—" Sasuke paused. "Last night, when you didn't dodge the Goukakyuu no jutsu. What happened?"

Naruto looked up. "What does it look like?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"When Kyuubi surfaces? I've never seen myself."

"So it was Kyuubi. What brought him out?"

"He's a fire fox," Naruto said with an air of the obvious. "Fire calls him out. I'll never need to dodge it, because fire is his—my—element."

"But," Sasuke said. "If fire brings him out, wouldn't you want to dodge? To keep him in?"

"He never comes out to stay in battle."

"But what if he tries to?"

"He has. I don't let him," Naruto said. "Besides, he knows if he tries to come out I'll fight him, and if that happens during battle it's likely I'll get killed. He shares my death, and is intelligent enough not to distract me in a battle."

"You have control over him?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto snorted, stretching his arms over his cloth covered head. "I would never be so bold as to claim I have control over Kyuubi. Especially—" he stopped abruptly, closing his eyes.

"Especially what?" Sasuke pressed.

Naruto became still and tense, not answering him. Sasuke wasn't even sure he had heard him.

"Naruto?"

"Trying to prove a point?" Naruto muttered, and with a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach Sasuke wondered if he was even talking to him.

Naruto stood abruptly, knocking the chair away in the process. Sasuke felt a sudden burst of power from the other man. Naruto's hands clutched his head and he began to grind his teeth. Sasuke took a step towards him, but stopped as red chakra flared up, warning him to stay away.

Sasuke watched wide eyed as Naruto doubled over as if he'd been punched in the stomach and opened his eyes. The regularly sky blue eyes were now a violent purple, flashing now and then between their normal color and a fiery red.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, stepping closer.

"Stay back!" Naruto, or perhaps Kyuubi, cried.

Sasuke did as he was told.

"Bastard—fox," Naruto growled through clenched teeth. "Go back where you belong!"

With a rush of air the red chakra was suddenly pulled inside Naruto, the force sending him flying forward into Sasuke.

Sasuke was only able to catch the other man and use his body to soften the fall they were about to take. He landed with a thud on his back, arms around Naruto as they slid across the kitchen floor.

For a moment they both lay still, Naruto panting quietly against Sasuke's chest.

"What was that?" Sasuke finally asked, making no attempt to move.

"That," Naruto said, still struggling for breath. "Is the reason I've been pretending to be dead for ten years."


	3. Of Rememberances and Kyuubi

A/N: I suppose I should have warned of spoilers earlier but I forgot. This story will have spoilers up to 242 of the manga, so if you don't want to know I wouldn't read any further. If you want to read the manga first then come back, head over to narutofan .com, you can download all of the manga available translated into English for free. Either way, happy reading!

_

* * *

Ten years earlier: _

Tsunade sadly ran her hand through the brilliant blonde locks of the fifteen year old boy lying still in his hospital bed.

In the room next door lay another boy, who was being watched over by a pink haired girl, who's expression was similar to Tsunade's as she ran her fingers through jet black hair.

Two days ago the boys had finally come to clash after their only real fight three years before. Their first fight had ended in disaster, leaving the blonde injured and unconscious and the dark haired boy a missing nin.

For three years they trained and no one but their sensei, two of the three legendary Sannin, knew the extent of their powers.

Konoha had been on alert for years, ever since Orochimaru's first attack on the village. Naruto and Jiraiya had returned to the village only a week before Orochimaru's giant snakes invaded and sound ninja's attacked.

The first reports of the attack came to Tsunade when she was in a meeting with Naruto, discussing his training. Genma had teleported into her office, a toothpick dangling precariously from his mouth as he explained that two of their gates had been broken through.

She ordered him to tell the chuunin that their first priority was to get the villagers to safety and to have the jounin fend off those at the gates.

Genma had only left moments before the Hokage tower began to shake. "Naruto!" Tsunade had called as the building moved precariously. Her first instinct was to protect the boy.

The fifteen year old moved from position in front of the desk, in a flash, grabbing her and leaping out of the window as the tower collapsed.

Setting her to her feet they watched the tower fall, clouds of smoke rising as the rubble hit the ground.

"Tsunade! Naruto!" Jiraiya called, running to their sides.

They could hear the laugh before they could see the man. The "Ku ku ku" that they would recognize anywhere. A giant snake slithered into view, tail wrapped around what used to be the base of the tower, the end flicking carelessly. Two ninja's stood on its head.

As the smoke cleared they could see them clearly. The taller of the two had white hair, although his face was still quite young. The glare of the sun off his glasses hid his eyes from view, but they all recognized Kabuto.

The shorter figure laughed again. "It's been awhile, Jiraiya, Tsunade—Naruto." It was Sasuke's face, Sasuke's body, but the gravely voice emanating from his lips, that was Orochimaru's voice.

Naruto hung his head, clenching his fists. He was too late.

"Tsunade-sama!" a voice called. Five Anbu were suddenly between her and Orochimaru.

"Go!" she said. "I don't need your protection, help the villagers!"

The Anbu hesitated before bowing quickly and heading into various parts of the village.

"Let's end this Orochimaru!" Jiraiya called.

"Yes," Orochimaru said. "It's finally time."

Tsunade tensed for battle. She'd been waiting for this moment for a very long time. "Naruto, stay back," she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Not a chance in hell, Tsunade-baba," he growled.

"Naruto! You can't fight him!" she cried.

"Tsunade," Jiraiya's rough voice cut in. "Let him fight."

"Jiraiya, he could be killed!"

"Tsunade!" the white haired man said angrily. "He won't be fighting alone."

She sighed. "Be careful, Naruto."

"Don't worry," the blonde growled.

"Tsunade-sama," a smooth voice said. Kabuto stood in front of them, a good twenty feet away. "While I would prefer to fight Naruto-kun, to—repay him for our last meeting, Orochimaru-sama has requested that I fight you."

Tsunade looked at Naruto, expecting him to say something very loud and very brash to Kabuto and was surprised to see him standing with his arms crossed, watching him with an expression that bordered on disinterest. His three years of training had certainly calmed him down, she thought.

"I still owe you for our last fight," Tsunade said to him. "Your cheap tricks with blood aren't going to work this time." She rushed at him, and their fight began.

"Well, Jiraiya, I guess it's our turn," Orochimaru said through Sasuke's mouth.

Angrily, Jiraiya bit his thumb, drawing blood. Recognizing the seals he began to perform, Naruto placed a hand on the older man's arm. "Ero sennin, if you summon Gama Bunta half of the village will be destroyed before the fight is over."

"Ku ku ku," came the laugh from above them. "Looks like the brat's lost some of his brashness over the years."

Both Naruto and Jiraiya glared up at him. "Orochimaru!" Naruto cried. "I swear I will kill you before the day is over!"

He laughed again. "Not much smarter though, is he?"

Naruto and Jiraiya suddenly attacked, the boy leaping to a building and onto the snake's head while Jiraiya ran up the snake's body, using chakra to stick to the snake's scaly skin.

Orochimaru attacked with his tongue, a sight that almost made Naruto sick as it flew from Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto ignored the feeling and flipped away from the tongue, which moved in an arc towards Jiraiya. The while haired man dodged. He looked towards Sasuke's—no, Orochimaru's bandaged arms. If he could just get in close. The tongue was too long to allow for close range fighting.

"Naruto!" he called.

After three years of training together the boy knew what he wanted and quickly executed. "Kage Bushin no justsu!"

Fifty Naruto's suddenly surrounded Orochimaru and with a loud battle cry in unison they all rushed him.

Orochimaru laughed as he fought them off with his tongue. "Still weak," he said, watching them poof into smoke. His eyes widened in surprise as one Naruto managed to dodge his tongue and get in close, a kunai in his hand. "What?" he said in surprise, as with a poof of smoke the orange clad boy became Jiraiya. "A henge?" Orochimaru said.

Raising the kunai, Jiraiya lunged at Orochimaru.

Jiraiya's big mistake was assuming his arms were still useless. He looked in shock as Sasuke's face twisted into a manic grin. Orochimaru grabbed Jiraiya's wrist, stopping the kunai inches from his face.

"Still as stupid as ever, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya tried to pull his arm away, but Orochimaru held him fast. With wide eyes Jiraiya watched as Orochimaru began concentrating his chakra to his left hand.

Naruto knew that skill.

Haku's face suddenly came to him. _'Do you have someone who is important to you?'_

"Ero sennin!" he cried, taking off as Orochimaru's fist flew forward.

It happened so quickly no one reacted for a long moment.

* * *

Sakura had been looking for a place that she would be most useful. She no longer had her genin team since Sasuke had run off and Naruto had been training. She herself had been training as well for the past three years under Tsunade-sama's guidance. Now she wanted to do what she could as a medical nin, although her skills were not as highly developed as Tsunade-sama's or Shizune's. Leaping onto a roof to get a better view of the chaos, she attempted to see who was in most immediate need of help. She was not prepared for the sight before her. 

A loud scream of, "Naruto!" broke the silence that had descended over Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Sakura stood on the roof next to them, gaping open mouthed and horrified.

Sasuke was standing on the head of a giant snake, holding Jiraiya-san's wrist immobile with one hand, his other hand thrust through Naruto's right shoulder. Naruto coughed, blood spraying on Sasuke's white wrapped arms. Sasuke seemed to recover from the surprise and started laughing. What was wrong with his voice?

Jiraiya stared at the hand in front of him. The hand that had gone straight through Naruto's chest. The hand that was meant for him. Blood dripped from Orochimaru's fingers and down the orange jacket.

Releasing Jiraiya's hand, Orochimaru braced his free hand on the boy's chest, unceremoniously pulling his fist out of him. Jiraiya caught Naruto as he crumpled.

"Naruto!" Tsunade cried from the ground. She went to rush for him, but was blocked by Kabuto. "You're not done here Tsunade-sama."

"Get out of my way!" she screamed, but was forced to dodge as he concentrated his chakra to his hands and lunged, trying to cut her muscles.

"You okay, Ero sennin?" the boy in Jiraiya's arms asked in a soft voice. He coughed up some more blood. How he could even talk was beyond the older man.

"Naruto, you baka! Why did you do that?" Jiraiya asked, eyes wide in horror.

"I don't want to watch those dear to me die before my eyes."

Neither of them noticed the flash in Orochimaru's eyes at the words. He shook his head as if to clear it.

Naruto slipped from consciousness and Orochimaru began to laugh. "It seems like all your students end up dying, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya's hands began to shake in anger. He leapt to the roof Sakura stood on and gently lay Naruto down then turned and leapt back to the snake's head, preparing to end this.

"My host doesn't seem too pleased with me," Orochimaru said in amusement. "There's quite a stir in the back corner of my mind where his consciousness lays."

"He's still within you?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

"Don't get any sentimental ideas, Jiraiya. He's trapped in there forever."

Jiraiya sighed. So there was no way to save Sasuke. He would have died trying if there was—Naruto…would have wanted it.

"Sharingan," Orochimaru said. Jiraiya grit his teeth as red eyes glared at him.

* * *

On the roof tears streamed down Sakura's face as she used all that Tsunade had ever taught her to try and save Naruto. He wasn't dead yet, but the wound—the blood. She could feel his heart slowing as she worked, her hands glowing with chakra. "Naruto! Please hang on!" 

There were loud crashes and she looked up, watching with wide eyes as Sasuke and Jiraiya-san sent jutsu after jutsu at one another. She had never seen a battle with such skills, not even the battle of Kakashi and Zabuza compared.

The slowing heartbeat under her fingers suddenly stopped. "Naruto!" She sent more chakra into him, desperately trying to restart his heart. "No!" she sobbed, trying again and again.

An explosion rattled the building she was on, and standing up quickly she saw that Sasuke had throw Jiraiya-san with such a force he'd crashed into building, shaking it before the older man fell motionlessly to the ground.

Tsunade was still fighting off Kabuto, although she now had a profound limp.

Smoke was rising from everywhere in the village, buildings collapsing were punctuated by screams, and from where she stood on the roof she could see the bodies and blood littering the ground.

She stared down at the blood coating her hands, then moved her gaze to Naruto who lay motionlessly on the ground. She had failed. Clenching her hands into angry fists she turned to face Sasuke, who had begun to laugh as he looked over the destruction of Konoha. After kneeling and kissing Naruto on his forehead, she stood back up, pulling a kunai from the pouch on her thigh. She wasn't strong enough she knew, Sasuke had beaten Jiraiya-san, but she had to do something. Even if it killed her, she would not run away.

* * *

Deep inside a dying boy two great red eyes peered out of the darkness. "Oh, no," the owner of the eyes said, almost amused. "This simply won't do. One day you're going to regret this, kit." 

The boy's heart had slowed so that it appeared to have stopped, but Kyuubi knew better. This kid lived on willpower alone, but that was enough. With red chakra swirling around the blonde boy's body, the hole in his shoulder began to repair, just as it had three years before.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. 

The raven-haired boy looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You killed him! You killed Naruto!"

Sasuke laughed that frightening laugh. "So he finally died."

As Sakura watched his eyes widened and flashed and his hands flew to his head as if he were in pain. Suddenly he stopped and straightened, a manic grin on his face.

"Oh my, you are angry indeed. What was he to you?" he said.

Sakura was confused. It didn't seem as though Sasuke was talking to her.

"Sasuke, you're a traitor. I can never forgive you!" she cried, raising her kunai.

* * *

Tsunade finally managed to get a chakra filled punch directly to Kabuto's chest. Sending her chakra to specific points in his body she was able to knock him unconscious. He wouldn't wake up for at least a week. Taking a moment to look around she noted the critical situation. She almost stopped breathing when she saw Sakura arm herself. 

"Sakura!" she cried. "No! That's not Sasuke, you cannot defeat him!"

The pink haired girl either didn't hear her or ignored her, and rushed at Orochimaru.

"Don't kid yourself girl," Orochimaru said, waiting until she was close and backhanding her away. She flew with the sheer force of the hit, falling off the snake's head.

"Sakura!" Tsunade yelled as she watched her apprentice begin to fall from fifty feet in the air. She couldn't make it to her in time; she could barely walk.

A blur of orange and red whizzed by her, leaping into the air, catching the young woman in mid-fall. Tsunade stared in amazement as Naruto suddenly stood before her, placing Sakura, who had passed out, gently on the ground. He sped away, returning a few moments later with the limp Jiraiya over his shoulder, setting him next to Sakura.

Tsunade couldn't speak. Naruto's horrible wound was gone, the only indication it had ever been there was the large rip in his jacket. He was surrounded by red chakra and his features had taken on the look of a fox. His eyes were red and narrowed, his teeth long and fanglike, and his nails had lengthened into claws.

"Heal them, Tsunade-baba. I'll take care of this."

"Naruto!" she called as he walked away.

"I'll be okay," he said, glancing back at her over his shoulder, sending her a vicious grin.

She sighed, looking at Jiraiya's beaten form. Laying her palms on his chest she began to heal him, keeping her eyes on Naruto.

The boy leapt back up to the snake's head, staring down Orochimaru with his arms crossed.

"So, you're not dead?"

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Naruto growled.

"The fox has emerged. At least now you'll be a fun fight." Orochimaru laughed, and then paused, a faraway look in his eyes. "Your friend seems to want you to run away. He seems quite attached to you. Got very emotional when you were announced dead."

The news of Sasuke's consciousness had been shared to shock and surprise Naruto, and hopefully to weaken him. He wouldn't hurt Sasuke's body if he thought there was a chance the boy could be returned to it.

So when Naruto heard this and his lips twisted into a feral grin, fangs showing menacingly, Orochimaru was surprised, to say the least.

"You can tell him that he should know by now that Uzumaki Naruto never runs away! I'm still weak from having his hand rammed through my chest and I'm spending most of my energy right now trying to stop Kyuubi from taking over my body and killing everyone that isn't dead already. So if he'd really like for me not to die he'd better reclaim his body, because I'm not going to win, but I sure as hell am _not going to run_!"

"Ku ku ku," Orochimaru laughed. "Well at least you're realistic," he said. "You aren't going to win." He began powering up the Chidori, "This seems like a fitting way for you to die, it'll be as if it really is Sasuke ramming his hand through your heart."

Naruto said nothing.

Jiraiya awoke to see Tsunade hovering over him worriedly. "Naruto!" he gasped, sitting up. "He—"

"He's alive, Jiraiya," Tsunade said quickly, pointing up to where the two possessed boys stood.

They watched Orochimaru power up Chidori and begin to run at Naruto, who stood firm, his arms still crossed.

"He's not dodging," Tsunade said with a gasp.

Jiraiya tried to get up to go to him but he was too weak and couldn't stand. "Naruto! Dodge!" he screamed, from his knees.

But Naruto didn't move. Orochimaru drew closer and Tsunade and Jiraiya watched in amazement as the Chidori suddenly went out like a candle being snuffed. Orochimaru fell to his knees, hands gripping Sasuke's hair. A loud scream wrenched from his lips.

"This can't be happening," he cried, then his voice changed to a different tone, no more gentle but there was a younger, less gravelly quality to it. It was a voice Naruto knew well, slightly deeper than the last time he heard it, but it was the same voice. "Get. Out. Of. My. _Body_!" he screamed.

There was a surge of power and a scream of outrage, and as they watched the chakra swirl up around Sasuke's body they could suddenly see the shadowy shape of a human being pulled from the boy's chest. It appeared to be trying to hold on, but it was thrust from his body and disappeared.

Sasuke fell forward, to all fours, panting. The raven-haired boy looked up, red eyes having returned to their normal deep gray. He saw the blonde standing above him, surrounded by red chakra.

"Naruto?" he said.

With what looked like considerable trouble the blonde managed to stop the red chakra, and when he opened his eyes again they were the bright blue Sasuke was used to.

Naruto smiled down at him. "Sasuke," he said. "I knew you could do it."

With that he collapsed, no longer able to remain standing without the strength of the Kyuubi. Sasuke moved swiftly, with energy he didn't know he had left, to catch the boy as he fell, cradling him gently.

"Naruto?" he said, shaking him lightly. "Naruto!"

Without his summoner the snake they stood on grew impatient, and with a poof it was gone. With nothing under his feet Sasuke quickly jumped to the roof next to him before leaping to the ground. He was unable to go any further and he sat down heavily, still holding the blonde close, rocking back and forth.

When Tsunade and Jiraiya reached him he was crying, mumbling, "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai," into Naruto's hair.

It took a sleep jutsu before he would relinquish his hold on the boy.

Three days later Naruto awoke in the hospital. No one was aware of his condition except for Tsunade and Jiraiya, not even Kakashi or Iruka, who came by every day only to be told they could be given no information about either of their former students. Sasuke was still unconscious; his body needing time to recover from the strain being possessed had put on it.

Orochimaru was assumed dead; his soul having nowhere to go once Sasuke had vanquished him.

When Naruto had woken Tsunade had hugged him tightly, relieved he was all right. She let him go when he didn't hug back.

"Tsunade-baba," he said softly, staring at his hands. "It almost took over that time."

"Naruto?" she said, worriedly.

"Kyuubi," he said, and then paused. "I've never been that close to loosing myself. The killing intent, the power. If I had giving in for even an instant everyone in the village would be dead. I almost couldn't stop him."

"But you did, Naruto, you stopped him."

"He's been trying more often," the boy said.

"He—what?"

"I can constantly feel him poking in my consciousness. He's waits, Tsunade, waits until I'm relaxed, until I'm off guard—usually when I'm sleeping. Then he tries to take over. He wants out."

Tsunade was shocked at the information. Why hadn't Naruto ever told her? She swallowed. This was a difficult development. "You can fight him, Naruto," she finally said.

"What happens if I can't? I can't take that chance. When he saved my life he told me I'd regret it. I can feel him already, Tsunade. He took that opportunity, when I was weakest, and wove himself deeper into me. He's just right beneath the surface now. He's trying to meld us." Tsunade didn't know what to say. She was the Hokage but she had no idea what to do. This was a problem where no answers seemed apparent.

Naruto continued. "I have to leave the village."

"What!" Tsunade cried.

"I can't be here if Kyuubi manages to take over. I will not put people I care about at risk!"

"Naruto, if you leave, you'll be considered a missing nin," Tsunade told him.

"There's got to be a way, Tsunade-baba," he said. He pleaded.

In the end it was Jiraiya that came up with the idea to tell everyone Naruto was dead. No one knew his condition; it wouldn't be farfetched to say he'd died from his injuries.

The older man had wanted to go with the boy, but Naruto had refused. Both Sannin wondered how he planned to conceal himself, for his looks cause him to stick out quite a bit. But he'd tied his hitai-ate over his telltale blonde locks and pulled a mask over his whicker marks, so his only defining feature left was his blue eyes, which didn't seem to shine as they once had. When he appeared before them one last time, his face and hair covered and wearing navy blue and black colors rather than his normal bright orange jumpsuit, they sadly had to admit he was not easily recognizable.

Before he left he had turned to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama," he said. The respectfulness of his voice and the name left both Sannin wide eyed. "Don't punish Sasuke. Please."

There was nothing she could say but "I won't."

Then, with a nod and a wave, he was gone and Tsunade had to go inform everyone who cared about him of his death.

* * *

A/N: The phrase, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated"a quote of Mark Twain. It was just so fitting I couldn't resist, but I couldn't not give credit where credit is due. 


	4. Of Revelations

A/N: I've been agonizing over this decision for the past couple days. I've had a lot of reviews begging for yaoi, and I've had a lot pleading that I don't go down that route. Personally, I'd like to write yaoi, but I know what it feels like to get into a story then not be able to finish because you just don't like the pairings. I'm like that with Sasuke/Sakura. 

So, here's what I'm going to do. I have this story posted on both fanfiction. net and adultfanfiction. net. For those of you looking for yaoi, go to Adultfanfiction .net, here: http: adultfan. nexcess. net/ aff/ story. php ?no544172165. (add the double slash after http: and take out the spaces because Fanfiction. net won't let me put this link in) Or go to adultfan. nexcess. net/aff/ and look up my name which is Suomynonakun. Those of you who would rather this story remain about the friendship between Sasuke and Naruto stay where you are.

Up until this chapter both stories are exactly the same. So I would make sure you're at the place you want to be before continuing because this chapter is where things start to slowly progress.

I hope this works for everyone. Please let me know if there's a problem.

* * *

Sasuke rolled over again, laying on his back and glaring up at the ceiling of his room as if it was the reason he was unable to sleep. 

He'd been so close. So close to getting the answers he'd been searching for since Naruto's return.

_'That—is the reason I've been pretending to be dead for ten years.'_

Naruto had been about to go on, when there was a loud knock at Sasuke's door. Immediately, Naruto clammed up. Sasuke could feel the difference. Pulling himself into a sitting position, Naruto stood. Offering his hand to Sasuke, he pulled the dark haired man to his feet.

The knocking became more insistent.

"Uchiha-san!" they could hear from the other side of the door.

Without a glance back at Sasuke, Naruto made his way out of the kitchen and down the hallway of Sasuke's one story house. Sasuke watched him disappear into the guest room across from his room with a sigh.

Stalking to the door, he pulled it open with more force than he meant to, glaring icily at the visitor. Two jounin stood on his doorstep.

Sasuke was unfamiliar with the one who had been knocking and calling his name. He was young, maybe twenty.

The jounin behind him stood a few feet away, a distinct look of disinterest on his face. Shino, Sasuke thought, was the only other man he knew whose expression could remain as impassive and indifferent as his own. Actually, he amended, Shino was probably better at it than he was, since Sasuke's expression could usually vary to angry and, on occasion, surprised. Shino rarely even twitched an agitated eyebrow. He stood now with his hands stuffed into his pockets, round sunglasses over his eyes.

"Uchiha-san," the first jounin said. "We were patrolling and we felt a large surge of chakra from your house. We wanted to be sure everything was alright."

Sasuke almost snorted in amusement. The young jounin looked extremely anxious and Shino looked anything but concerned. He actually looked bored.

"Everything's fine," Sasuke said, sending a look of annoyance at the jounin. "I was—" he paused. "Practicing Chidori."

"In your _house_?" the young man asked. He had heard tales of Chidori's destructive power.

Sasuke knew the lie was pretty bad when he saw Shino make the effort to raise an eyebrow. Deciding the best route to follow was the one that worked most often; he crossed his arms and glared at both of them. "Why is it suddenly your business what I do in my own house?"

The young jounin looked horrified to have pissed the Anbu off. He stuttered out his next words. "We just—just wanted to be sure nothing had happened, sir."

"I think," Sasuke sneered. "That I am more than qualified to take care of myself, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," the jounin stammered.

Shino spoke, surprising them both. "Sorry to bother you, Uchiha." He turned and walked away, and the young jounin took one look at Sasuke and quickly made his way after him.

With a shake of his head, Sasuke closed the door and went in search of Naruto. As he headed down the hall towards the guest room he passed the bathroom, and, hearing the gentle thrum of the shower, he realized he wouldn't get to talk to him until later.

But when later came, Naruto brushed off the entire incident. He either ignored or changed the subject whenever Sasuke tried to bring it up, which was why Sasuke was now tossing in bed at two o'clock in the morning.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Sasuke threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. He didn't flinch as his bare feet came into contact with the cool wooden floor, used to the feeling after so many years. He only slept in his shorts and didn't bother putting on a shirt as he padded out of his bedroom. He wasn't even sure where he was going, but he knew tossing in bed was getting him nowhere.

As he walked by the guestroom Naruto inhabited he couldn't help but notice the faint light glowing under the door. Pausing, he listened carefully but could hear nothing to indicate Naruto was awake. The door wasn't shut completely and Sasuke debated pushing it open slightly to see if Naruto was sleeping.

He knew he could just knock, but he didn't want to wake him if Naruto was asleep. At least one of them should get some rest.

Finally, he gave in, quietly pushing the door open just wide enough that he could peer in.

Naruto sat in the middle of the floor, his back to the door. A small lamp sitting on the dresser that stood against the wall to his left softly illuminated the room.

The other man appeared to be meditating. He was still fully dressed, including his arm wrappings, and Sasuke had to wonder if he ever changed. His face mask was pulled down, but his hair was still tied up under his hitai-ate.

Opting not to disturb him, Sasuke reached for the handle, preparing to pull the door closed.

"Need something, Sasuke?" Naruto said, not turning to look at him.

Sasuke paused in surprise. "I was just wondering if you were up," he finally said.

Naruto did turn to look at him then. The light of the lamp caused odd shadows to dance across the contours of his face and made it difficult to read his expression. Naruto stood, and his shadow stretched across the room, reminding Sasuke of Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu.

"I told you I don't sleep much," Naruto said, turning from him and moving to sit on the bed that was in the corner of the room across from the dresser.

"Well, I figured you'd take advantage of being here to get some rest," Sasuke told him, stepping through the door. "It's not like you'll get attacked in Konoha."

Naruto snorted, catching Sasuke off guard. "It's not shinobi attacking me that I worry about," he said.

"Then—what?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

There was a long pause as Naruto seemed to debate whether or not to tell him. "Today," Naruto finally began. "What happened in the kitchen. That was rare. Kyuubi was trying to prove a point. He rarely tries to overpower me when I'm fully aware."

Sasuke had unconsciously moved further into the room.

"When I said I only sleep for a few hours—that was a lie. I'll catch half an hour here and there, but usually I don't sleep at all. When I sleep is when he strikes. The first time I woke to find him weaving his essence through me was terrifying. It took everything I had to push him back. Every time he does it a little more of him becomes a part of me."

"He's trying to merge with you?"

"Not trying," Naruto said, and when his blue eyes looked up at Sasuke in the dim light, he swore they looked haunted. "Is."

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't be stupid, dobe," he said, refusing to believe what Naruto said could possibly be true.

Naruto growled at him, and Sasuke had to admit, the sound wasn't altogether human. "I'm not being stupid," he snapped. "It's not my imagination and I'm not worrying over nothing." He turned away, refusing to look at Sasuke. "Forget it," he finally said. "I was stupid to think the Great Uchiha Sasuke would understand."

Sasuke felt his stomach clench at the words. Naruto had opened up to him and he'd blown it. He hesitated before moving over to the bed and sitting next to Naruto, who turned from him, giving Sasuke a good view of his profile. "Naruto, gomen." He took the time to study Naruto's features. It seemed he never had much of an opportunity, since the other man kept his mask up as much as possible. The last time Sasuke had really seen him Naruto was twelve. That brief time in battle when they were fifteen didn't really count, he wasn't exactly trying to get a good look at the boy.

Naruto had lost his baby fat in exchange for muscle. He had a lean, yet athletic build. His chin and jaw line had become more angular. Sasuke frowned as he realized that he hadn't noticed that the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks had grown more pronounced. They were wider and darker.

"Why don't you ever take off your hitai-ate?" Sasuke asked.

"My hair would give me away, don't you think?" Naruto said with a small smile.

"There's no one here but me," Sasuke reminded him.

"I know," Naruto answered quietly.

There was a long silence before Sasuke spoke. "Can I see your hair?"

Naruto looked at him in surprise, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because I haven't seen it in ten years, and I miss seeing the color."

Naruto's eyes widened before he looked away. "I told you, it gives me away."

"Naruto, I already know who you are," Sasuke said.

"It doesn't give away who I am. It gives away who I'm becoming."

Sasuke frowned deeply at his words.

Naruto reached up and slowly began to untie his hitai-ate. Sasuke watched in silence as he pulled it off. Golden locks fell from the dark cloth, falling loosely around his face. They were longer than the last time Sasuke had seen them and, taking in how they gently framed Naruto's face, Sasuke was reminded of the fourth Hokage. But more was different to Naruto's hair than just the length. Reaching a hand to gently finger the locks, he let a few strands of red hair fall through his fingers.

Littered throughout the blonde strands were streaks of fiery red highlights.

He looked questioningly at Naruto, who calmly allowed him to touch his hair.

"The more connected we become, the redder it gets," Naruto explained. "It started out barely noticeable." He looked down; his expression almost seemed ashamed. When he spoke again his voice cracked and Sasuke could tell he was crying. "I don't know what to do, Sasuke. I can't stop him. I'm tired. So tired."

Sasuke's chest ached when Naruto started to sob. Reacting purely on instinct, he reached out and pulled Naruto to him, holding him while he sobbed into his shoulder.

* * *

"So what the hell's going on with Uchiha?" Kiba asked leaning his head back and downing a shot of sake. Kiba was wearing his jounin uniform, and the red marks on his cheeks became more pronounced as his face flushed from the alcohol. Akamaru sat at his feet under the table, having grown too big to perch on Kiba's head years ago. 

"What do you mean, Kiba?" Rock Lee asked from the seat across from him. Lee had grown to look almost exactly like Gai. He wore the same green training suit he had when he was younger and now he had a jounin vest over it just as his sensei wore it. The main difference between the two was Lee's round eyes, which gave him the look of perpetual innocence.

The others at the round table looked to Kiba for explain.

Since they had been old enough to drink the group of gennin that had taken their first chuunin exam together had been coming to the bar once a week to get together and catch up on one another's lives. They always inhabited a large round table in the back corner of the dark pub, away from the bustle that was always around the bar.

The group varied from week to week, sometimes people were on missions or had other duties, but they all came whenever their schedules allowed.

Tonight Kiba, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, and Sakura sat around the table.

They knew Kiba wasn't commenting on Sasuke not being there, because Sasuke was never there, not for lack of trying on Sakura's part. Since Naruto's death and Sasuke's return, the moody man had barely spoken to any of them unless it was in the context of a mission.

"Shino told me there was some weird surge of chakra from his house today," Kiba explained.

Shikamaru saw Sakura and Ino exchange odd looks. Now what was that about?

Kiba continued. "When he and that new jounin—the twitchy one—what's his name?"

"Ritsu?" Choji offered, stuffing a radish in his mouth.

"Yeah," Kiba said. "They went to check if everything was okay and he told him he had been practicing Chidori."

"In his house?" Hinata asked in her soft voice. She looked as she always had. Her hair was the same short bob and the only difference in her outfit was the chuunin vest that had taken the place of her old jacket.

"Yeah," Kiba said with a snort. "I know. Shino also said the chakra didn't feel like Chidori at all. It didn't even feel like Uchiha's chakra."

"Maybe it was that guy," Sakura said to Ino.

"What guy?" Lee asked the pink haired woman next to him.

"Did Shino mention him?" Sakura asked Kiba. "Some strange masked guy is staying with Sasuke-kun."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Uchiha, the self imposed introvert and all around antisocial bastard, has some stranger _staying with him_?" Kiba said.

Sakura shrugged, ignoring the insults to Sasuke. The older she got the less delusional she became. "That's what he told me. This guy is really suspicious though."

Ino finally spoke up, and Shikamaru realized how quiet she had been until that point. "Not suspicious, Sakura. _Scary_."

Sakura looked at her sympathetically and Shikamaru's curiosity was peaked.

"What do you mean, Ino?" he asked.

Everyone was looking at her curiously. With a sigh she explained what had happened earlier that day.

Shikamaru was the type of person who showed very little emotion, simply because it took too much effort for him to change his expression. So when Ino told her story and his eyes progressively widened, everyone at the table found themselves staring at him.

"What did this guy look like?" he asked her.

"Well, we couldn't see his face, he had a mask on, and his hitai-ate covered all of his hair," Ino said.

Nodding and lost in thought Shikamaru lifted his sake for a drink.

"The only thing I noticed about him was his bright blue eyes," Sakura said, almost sadly.

Shikamaru choked on his sake and stood suddenly. "I have to go," he said.

"Shikamaru?" Choji said, looking up at him.

"See you later," he called over his shoulder before exiting the bar.

"What they hell was that about?" Kiba asked as they all stared at the door Shikamaru had just left through.

* * *

Sasuke awoke early the next morning to the smell of eggs. Sitting up and looking around in confusion he realized he was in his guest room. He sighed, realizing that at some point last night he must have fallen asleep. 

Naruto had eventually composed himself and they'd moved off the subject of Kyuubi. Laying side by side on the bed they told one another some of the things that had happened over the last ten years.

Sasuke stopped in his room to grab a shirt before entering the kitchen. Naruto stood at his stove scrambling eggs. His mask was down around his neck and he'd put his hitai-ate back on.

"Hungry?" Naruto asked when Sasuke walked in.

"Yeah," he answered, going to the cupboard and grabbing plates. "Sorry I fell asleep," he said, holding the plates as Naruto dished out the eggs.

"I didn't expect you to stay up all night just because I do," Naruto said, setting the pan of eggs back on the stove and taking his plate from Sasuke.

They had just sat down at the table and begun to eat when there was a knock on the door.

Naruto grinned. "You certainly get a lot of visitors."

Sasuke set his fork down in exasperation. "I've had more people come here in the last two days than I've had all year."

Naruto laughed, taking another mouthful of eggs. He remained in the kitchen as Sasuke went to answer the door.

Sasuke was surprised to pull open the door and see Shikamaru. He hardly talked to the jounin, let alone received visits from him.

"Shikamaru," he said with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Sasuke," Shikamaru said in greeting. "I came by to see Naruto."

It was said so bluntly that all Sasuke could do was gape at him slack jawed.

Naruto, who had been listening, poked his head out of the kitchen to stare at Shikamaru, still holding his fork and wearing an expression startlingly similar to Sasuke's.

"Ohiyo, Naruto," Shikamaru said, looking past Sasuke to the disembodied head that was peeking out of the kitchen.

Snapping his mouth shut, Naruto shrugged with smile. "Ohiyo, Shikamaru."

* * *

The three men sat around Sasuke's kitchen table, Naruto and Sasuke staring at Shikamaru as he ate some eggs. 

"So," Sasuke finally said. "How did you know?"

"Ino goes into the mind of some strange guy with bright blue eyes and sees he's got something residing in him. The same day there's a strange surge of chakra coming from your house where this guy happens to be staying. It doesn't take a genius to figure out."

Naruto grinned. "And since you are a genius, it must have been pretty simple for you."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Did you tell anyone else?" Sasuke asked.

"No," Shikamaru said. "I figured that if it hasn't been made common knowledge, there's a reason."

"Yeah," Naruto said. "If you could just keep it to yourself it would be appreciated."

Shikamaru nodded. "So why go through all the trouble of pretending you're dead?" he asked.

Naruto tensed and Sasuke sent a glare at Shikamaru, who pointedly ignored him.

"It's a long story, Shikamaru," Naruto said with a forced smile.

Shikamaru studied him for a moment and Sasuke had every intention of throwing the jounin out if he pressed the subject. He would not let Shikamaru upset Naruto, not after seeing him last night.

Shikamaru didn't push it though, recognizing both Naruto's discomfort and Sasuke's rising ire. Shikamaru might have asked something else but he was cut off by a poof of smoke above Naruto's head.

When the smoke cleared Sasuke and Shikamaru stared at the large orange frog that sat on Naruto's head. Naruto rolled his eyes upwards, but could only see the orange flippers that rested on his forehead. With a sigh, he said, "Gamakichi, what did I tell you about popping up without being summoned?"

"Big problems, kid," the frog said, ignoring him.

Holding out his palms in front of him Naruto allowed Gamakichi to jump into his hands. "What's going on?" he asked when the frog was facing him. Sasuke and Shikamaru noticed his serious tone.

"Akatsuki's moving towards Konoha, but on the way they are ransacking villages, destroying everything they can."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Judging by their movements their next target is a small village about thirty miles from here."

"Are you sure?" Naruto said.

"Gamatatsu has been watching them like you asked. This is the only logical next move for them," Gamakichi told him.

Naruto nodded. "How long before they get there?"

"Four days, tops."

"That'll be enough time," Naruto said, apparently deep in thought.

"Enough time for what?" Sasuke asked.

"To get there before they do," Naruto replied. He nodded to Gamakichi, who disappeared from his hands. Naruto stood.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke said, standing as well.

"Well, I'm certainly not joking," Naruto said.

"Don't be stupid!" Sasuke growled angrily. "You can't defeat all of Akatsuki by yourself."

Naruto shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"You said you would stay," Sasuke reminded him.

"I never said how long," Naruto countered.

"The Hokage ordered that you stay in Konoha." Sasuke moved to block the exit.

"Sasuke, I'm 'dead' remember? I'm not under her rules anymore. Now, if you don't get out of my way I'll crack more than your ribs this time," Naruto said, incredibly calm.

Shikamaru, who had been quietly watching the exchange, decided it might be time to interject. "Naruto, taking on Akatsuki alone would be suicide. Surely you realize that?"

Naruto's gaze shifted to the pony-tailed shinobi, but he said nothing. In fact, he suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable.

It was then Sasuke realized what Naruto was thinking. He _had_ realized.

Striding across the kitchen so quickly Naruto didn't have a chance to react he raised a fist and punched the whiskered man. Naruto's head whipped to the side and he remained that way, refusing to meet Sasuke's accusatory glare.

"Don't you _ever_ think like that again," Sasuke hissed angrily.

Shikamaru could do nothing but gape at them.

The tense silence pervaded in the kitchen until finally Shikamaru spoke. "Perhaps we should speak to the Hokage about this."

The two men turned to look at him. "It's likely she'll send out a large team of shinobi to protect the village, also it will be a good indication of Akatsuki's strength."

Naruto sighed, and then nodded, still not meeting Sasuke's eyes.


	5. Of Enemies

A/N: Again, I'd like to say, for those of you who must have missed it last time, if you are reading this story at Fanfiction. net there will be NO yaoi. Those of you looking for the yaoi version should read it at adultfanfiction .net, the links are in the previous chapter.

* * *

Sakura quickly made her way into the meeting room. She had just woken up when Ino had knocked on her door, telling her the Hokage had called an emergency meeting. With a frown, Sakura had rushed to get ready. Emergency meetings didn't usually involve chuunin. Jounin and Anbu often went while the chuunin continued their normal duties around the village. 

When she entered the meeting hall it was full of shinobi, all of whom were talking amongst themselves. Spotting Ino, Lee, and Chouji, she made her way through the crowd.

With quick hello's she asked, "So what's going on?"

They shrugged.

"No idea," Ino said.

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino joined them, neither of them having any more of a clue about the reason for the meeting than they did.

"Ohayo, everyone," a voice said. They turned to see an Anbu standing behind them. The mask was the face of a rabbit, two red whiskers painted along the cheeks. They recognized the Anbu immediately since her hood was down and two buns of black hair were visible near the top of her head.

"Hey, Tenten!" Lee said, happy to see his old teammate. Tenten pulled her mask off and smiled at them with sparkling gray eyes.

As Tenten moved closer they could see another Anbu behind her. His uniform was clearly visible, for he didn't have his robes on. Long black hair flowed from behind his mask, which was the shape of a bird.

"Ohayo, Neji-niisan," Hinata said, bowing in greeting.

Neji nodded at her.

"Do you guys know what's going on?" Kiba asked the Anbu.

"No," Tenten said, shaking her head. "Sasuke called us in but we haven't been told anything."

"Look!" a booming voice called. "It's my old students, together again!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee said excitedly as the green clad jounin strolled over to them.

Asuma and Kurenai followed him, warmly greeting their former students as well.

"Kakashi, my rival!" Gai called loudly to the silver haired jounin that stood across the room. "Come see the young ones!"

Everyone was looking at their large group now, taking in the odd mixture of chuunin, jounin, and Anbu.

Kakashi walked over to them, his eye narrowed into a smile as a greeting.

They all fell into an easy banter until the Hokage entered the room and a hush fell.

Tsunade made her way to the podium at the front of the room and all the shinobi moved in behind her as she passed. The crowd re-parted quickly as the Anbu captain strode in after her, fully robed. He took his seat in the front of the room near the Hokage's advisors, Homura, Koharu, and Shizune.

The group of friends was surprised to see Shikamaru enter after Sasuke, walking next to a masked man. He leaned in, saying something to the man, who nodded. Shikamaru then walked further into the crowd and stood next to Chouji. The man stayed in the back, leaning casually against the wall.

Those who were in the pub the night before all gaped at Shikamaru who stared straight ahead, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"Is that the guy?" Kiba whispered to Sakura.

She nodded.

Akamaru whined at Kiba's feet and Kiba reached down, absently patting the dog's head.

Tsunade spoke and any thoughts of the masked man were pushed aside.

"Information regarding the Akatsuki has been brought to light. For the chuunin here I know that you weren't aware of Akatsuki's return, however we've deemed it necessary that you are all informed of the details. We are now definite that Akatsuki is heading towards Konoha."

No one spoke, but there was a collective noise of uncomfortable shifting from the chuunin, who had not been aware that such a threat existed.

With a quick glance behind her Sakura noticed that the masked man hadn't moved from his position against the wall and he didn't seem surprised at all. Wouldn't this be new information for him? He had said he was a chuunin.

Tsunade continued. "As they come towards Konoha they are attacking other villages of the Fire Country. We know where they will strike next. The reason I've called you all here is that we plan to send a large group of shinobi to intercept Akatsuki at their next target. This is a dangerous mission because we do not know their numbers or have a clear idea of their strength. We also have reason to believe they are being led by Orochimaru."

A murmur went up through the crowd and Tsunade held up a hand to quiet them. Sakura immediately looked to Sasuke for some type of reaction but with his mask on she could only look at his body language and he hadn't even tensed when Tsunade had made the announcement. He must have already known.

"There are some of you," Tsunade said. "I will be asking specifically to go. Otherwise we are asking for volunteers. This is an A class mission, so no chuunin's will be forced to go. If you would like to volunteer please see Homura, Koharu, or Shizune. Because we cannot afford to leave Konoha unprotected it is possible you'll be asked to remain here. Discuss among yourselves, but if you plan to volunteer please do so before you leave."

With that the Hokage stepped down from the podium and made her way into the crowd, stopping to talk to certain jounin as she went.

A buzz began immediately.

Kiba pushed his way over to Shikamaru and the others gathered around the pony-tailed man as well.

"Shikamaru, what the hell's going on?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, sighing. "Don't you listen, Kiba? Tsunade-sama just explained it all."

"Not that," Kiba said. "What happened last night? And who's that guy?" he said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the masked man who remained quietly in the back of the room.

Everyone was waiting for Shikamaru's response, even Neji, Tenten, and Shino, who hadn't been at the pub the night before, and the older jounin who really had no idea what had happened.

Kiba nearly jumped out of his skin when a low voice spoke right next to him. "Neji, Tenten," Sasuke said to his two Anbu. "The Hokage has asked me to put together a squad of Anbu for this mission and I'd like you two to be on it." He didn't bother removing his mask, even around the group of people he'd known from childhood.

"Hai," Tenten said, and Neji inclined his head in an affirmative.

Sasuke nodded and without a word to the rest of them he turned and walked away disappearing back into the crowd.

"Nice to see you too, Uchiha," Kiba said. He turned to continue his interrogation of Shikamaru, but was interrupted again when Tsunade walked over.

"Kakashi, Gai, I'd like for the two of you to go on the mission."

They nodded.

"Good," she said. "Report to Shikamaru tomorrow at 8:00."

"Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, he and Sasuke will be leading this mission. Sasuke is taking care of the Anbu and Shikamaru is commanding the jounin and any chuunin that volunteer."

Gai and Kakashi looked at one another as she moved away telling Lee, Kiba, Shino, and Chouji that she wanted them on the mission.

"Do you suddenly feel extremely old?" Gai asked.

Kakashi nodded, glancing at their leader, who seemed to be watching his companions with little interest, in fact, one could say he looked bored.

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata rejoined the group, having gone and volunteered.

The room began to empty out as those who had volunteered and those who weren't planning to left.

Ino looked over to where the masked man stood, arms folded and eyes closed as he leaned against the wall.

"I wonder if he's going to volunteer," she said to no one in particular.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said to the silver haired jounin, who stood near Gai. "Do _you_ know anything about that guy?"

Glancing in his direction Kakashi was startled to see blue eyes meet his gaze, but made no outward indication of his surprise. "No, Sakura, I'm just as in the dark as you are." He held eye contact with the man for a moment, until the blue eyes closed once again.

Everyone turned to Shikamaru, whose eyes were half lidded and almost looked as though he was going to attempt sleeping standing up.

"What?" he asked when he noticed all the eyes on him.

"You were talking to him," Ino said. "Do you know who he is?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "We've met."

Everyone, including the older generation of jounin, who were equally as curious about the stranger, was about to launch into questions when Sasuke walked back up to the group.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked flatly, as if he really didn't care one way or the other.

There was a bit of confusion at the question since, one, Sasuke rarely spoke to any of them, and, two, his mask prevented them from seeing where exactly his question was directed.

Shikamaru put an end to the confusion by sighing and saying, "How troublesome," before following Sasuke over to the masked man. Pushing himself from the wall, he greeted them with a curt nod before the three of them left, completely ignoring the rest of them.

"Okay, seriously," Kiba said when they had departed. "What the hell is going on?"

Akamaru barked.

* * *

"What are you doing here, old man?" Naruto asked. 

They were bringing up the rear in a long line of shinobi.

There were about fifty ninjas picked for the mission and they were making their way quickly towards the village Gamakichi had warned Naruto about.

Naruto sighed, thinking about how much quicker he could have gotten there if he'd just gone himself.

Jiraiya threw him an irritated look at the question. "I'm not one to miss an opportunity to kick Orochimaru's ass."

Naruto's eyes appeared thoughtful. "I don't ever recall you kicking Orochimaru's ass. In fact, every time I've seen you face him you've ended up as a human crater."

Jiraiya thwapped him on the head. "No respect!"

Naruto's eyes crinkled in a grin, but the expression fell when he felt eyes on him again. Looking ahead to the middle of the line he saw a pair of pale, pupil-less eyes staring at him. When he met Hinata's gaze she blushed and turned quickly. Naruto sighed. At least she hadn't been using Byakugan. Who knew what she would see.

Ever since the mission had begun people had been sneaking looks at him, as if watching him would help them figure out the mystery he presented. He'd caught everyone from Ino to Kakashi-he was pretty certain he'd even seen the stoic Shino watching him as well, but with the sunglasses it was difficult to tell.

"Popular, aren't we?" Jiraiya teased.

"If I had known the best way to get everyone's attention was to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible, I wouldn't have tried being so annoying when I was a kid," Naruto said in exasperation.

Jiraiya laughed. "It's the mask," he said. "It adds to the mystery."

Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke suddenly appeared beside them. He was wearing his armor and mask, his katana strapped across his back.

Blue eyes rolled as Sasuke fell into step with them. "I'm still here Sasuke," Naruto said, obviously irritated.

"I know," the Anbu replied.

This was not the first time Sasuke had checked up on him. Whether Sasuke was afraid he was going to run off or try and kill himself right there on the walk to the village, Naruto wasn't sure, but it was beginning to annoy him.

"Stop playing mother hen and get back to your troops," Naruto snapped a little louder than he'd intended.

The fox mask turned towards him, but Naruto had no idea what type of expression it hid. Finally Sasuke grunted and disappeared, presumably returning to the head of the line with the rest of the Anbu.

Those who could hear the conversation were wide eyed. No one dared talk to the Anbu captain like that, not even those who had known him when he was younger. Kakashi and Gai, who had remained towards the back of the line, exchanged glances; their curiosity peaked even further.

* * *

The metal roof tiles were cool under his hands when he leaned back, his weight on his arms as he stared up into the night sky. From his position on the roof of a bakery that was closed for the night, he could see several shinobi pacing the outskirts of the village on sentry duty, looking for any sign of Akatsuki. 

They'd arrived at the village just before sundown. The villagers had been surprised but cooperative, grateful for protection. They had heard what was happening in the other villages.

Everything was quiet so far. The villagers and most of the shinobi were sleeping and resting for the battle that was likely to begin the next day.

Naruto had managed to sneak away from the watchful eyes of Sasuke and Shikamaru. He and Sasuke hadn't actually been speaking since the day before, save for Naruto telling him to leave him alone several times throughout the journey to the village. When they'd returned to Sasuke's house after the meeting Shikamaru and Sasuke spoke about strategies and Naruto went to the guest room to meditate. After Shikamaru had left the entire house seemed filled with nearly tangible tension between Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke had obviously not been prepared to find out Naruto valued his life at so little, and Naruto had not been prepared for Sasuke's angry reaction to this information.

He heard feet land lightly on the shingles behind him. Turning his head slightly, he watched as Gai-no, he corrected when the man's face was illuminated by the moonlight-Lee walked over to him.

"Ah!" Lee said softly when he could see Naruto. His hair and face were still covered, but he'd now become recognizable as the mysterious masked man.

"Sorry to disturb you," Lee said, drawing even with him. "I saw a shadowy figure on the roof and thought I should check it out."

"It's okay," Naruto said, returning his gaze to the stars that twinkled brightly above them.

"My name's Rock Lee," the dark haired man said, extending his hand down to him.

"Nice to meet you," Naruto said, grasping Lee's calloused palm, but not offering his name.

If Lee noticed he hadn't been given a name he made no comment. "So," he said. "How do you know Uchiha Sasuke?"

"The Hokage is making me stay with him." It wasn't a lie.

Lee nodded, looking up at the stars. "I can't imagine he's much fun to live with," he said.

Naruto shrugged, a small smile pulling at his hidden lips. "He's definitely a broody bastard."

Lee grinned down at him. "He's always been like that," he said. "Of course he wasn't quite as bad before-" He cut himself off with a frown.

Naruto looked up at him curiously. "Before what?"

"Well, he's never been quite the same since a friend of his died," Lee said sadly. "Actually, none of us have. Konoha never seemed so quiet until he was gone."

Naruto looked down at the roof tiles, his stomach turning with regret. His friends had missed him. He'd often wondered if that would be the case or if his absence would go mostly unnoticed, not affecting anyone's lives. How he wished he could speak to them again, the way he used to. Just be the careless stupid person he once was, annoying his friends.

He shook his head slightly.

He had made the right decision. He was protecting these people and to do that they must not know he still existed. He had no regrets.

Already he had spent too much time around them, any moment with him was a moment in danger, whether they knew it or not.

His resolve strengthened. After this mission he'd leave, with or without Tsunade-baba's permission or Sasuke's knowledge.

"Well," Lee said, breaking Naruto's train of thought. "I should get back to sentry duty."

Naruto sent him a nod and the green clad man leapt from the roof, gracefully landing on the ground and making his way back through the village.

It was a few moments before the presence Naruto had sensed while speaking with Lee decided to make himself known. "Hiding yourself from your old friends, Naruto-kun?"

With a sigh, Naruto stood, turning to face the newcomer.

Naruto grimaced as he took in the white haired man's appearance. His skin was pulled tightly over his face giving him an emaciated look. He no longer wore his glasses and his eyes bulged unnaturally from his face.

"The years have not been kind to you, Kabuto," Naruto said. "Or, I suppose I should call you Orochimaru."

Kabuto's face broke into a manic grin. "Yes, Kabuto was kind enough to lend me his body when Sasuke-kun-rebelled."

"Are you here to reclaim him?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No," Orochimaru said. "I thought he was the body I wanted, but I've since revised my opinion."

Naruto watched him speak with a guarded expression.

"See, I always thought of you as a little Jiraiya, stupid and not very talented." He paused, waiting for Naruto to react, but continued when Naruto simply gazed at him flatly. "But, Jiraiya has proved that luck and persistence can make you strong. You, Naruto-kun, your luck was having Kyuubi sealed in you. Unlimited power at your fingertips."

Naruto did raise an eyebrow at that. Orochimaru could not possibly be suggesting what he seemed to be suggesting.

"Uchiha Itachi had the right idea coming after you. Your stupidity made me overlook you before, but once I control your body that particular weakness won't be a problem. And I'll have the power of Kyuubi to use as I please."

Apparently, Naruto thought, Orochimaru was suggesting exactly what he seemed to be suggesting.

"What makes you sure you can control Kyuubi's power?" Naruto asked.

"Ku, ku, ku," Orochimaru laughed. "Do you realize who you're talking to?"

Rolling his eyes Naruto muttered, "An overconfident bastard?" Louder he said, "There's only one problem with this theory of yours. I would have to be willing. And I'm not."

Orochimaru laughed again and Naruto grit his teeth at the irritating sound. "Ten years ago, yes, you would have had to be willing. But I've discovered a new jutsu since then. Now, you just have to be unconscious."

Naruto's eyes widened as Kabuto's mouth opened and Orochimaru's tongue flew from his mouth. He quickly dodged, but the tongue followed him. He had to use his full speed to avoid being hit. Dashing across the rooftop he pulled out several shuriken, flinging them at Orochimaru, who leapt into the air to dodge. Naruto used this chance to get in close, avoiding the tongue. Chakra began to gather in his right palm.

"Oh no you don't," Orochimaru said, recognizing the technique. He retracted his tongue at a high speed, purposely slamming it into the back of Naruto's head.

Stars burst in front of his eyes and Naruto fell to his knees in front of the snake-like man, the chakra in his hand disappearing. With a smirk Orochimaru swiftly brought his knee up, catching Naruto hard in the jaw and sending him sprawling across the roof.

Lowering his mask momentarily to spit out blood, Naruto shakily started to make his way to his feet. A kick to his ribs from Orochimaru sent him sliding along the roof tiles and dangerously close to the edge. He saw the tongue speeding towards him but was unable to dodge as it wrapped around his leg, pulling him upside down into the air.

* * *

Lee felt a strong gathering of chakra and turned to see the masked man he'd just been speaking with fighting with a strange man on the roof he'd just left. 

Calling to a nearby chuunin to inform Shikamaru and Sasuke, he and several sentries made their way quickly towards the fight. They arrived in time to see the masked man lifted into the air by the other's tongue, which was impossibly and disgustingly long.

Lee watched as the man used his tongue to throw the masked man off the roof. He hit the ground painfully hard and rolled towards Lee before the momentum of the throw wore out and his limp body skidded to a stop. Running towards him Lee dropped to a knee to make sure he was still alive. The man was bloodied and bruised on the small part of his face that he could see and his arm was bent in a very unnatural way, presumably from the fall. He was unconscious, but alive.

"Get a medical nin," Lee told one of the sentries, who hurried away.

Two puffs of smoke announced the arrival of Sasuke and Shikamaru, who quickly took in the situation. As soon as he saw the masked man laying on the ground Sasuke quickly kneeled next to him, across from Lee. Sasuke hadn't bothered to put his mask on and Lee was surprised at the worry splayed across the normally stoic man's face. Assured that he was still breathing, Sasuke stood, glaring angrily at the man on the roof.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," the man said. "Just in time to witness me take my knew body."

Sasuke's eyes grew wide when he recognized Orochimaru's voice as the white haired man began making seals. He didn't know what to do to protect Naruto, but he'd be damned he'd let that snake take control of him the way he had been taken control of.

But before Sasuke could do anything Orochimaru stopped, opening his eyes and laughing.

"You're better than I gave you credit for," he said, looking at Naruto's still form. "I'll do this next time I see you." And with that he had disappeared.

Sasuke, Shikamaru, Lee and the three other sentries looked curiously at the unconscious man on the ground. Sasuke went back to kneel by Naruto's side. What did Orochimaru mean? Naruto seemed to pose no threat.

With a poof the sentry Lee had sent off appeared, Sakura with him. Her pink hair was sticking every which way having come directly after being roused from sleep. She saw Sasuke kneeling next to the masked man and rushed to the injured man's side, shooing Sasuke away to get room to work.

Quickly assessing the damage she moved to use her chakra to begin healing and nearly screamed when her patient disappeared in a poof of smoke.

They all stared at the empty spot in amazement.

"Don't waste your chakra," a voice said. Turning they saw the masked man emerge from the shadow of the building the fight had taken place on, looking no more injured than when Lee had spoken to him.

"The replacement technique?" Lee said in confusion.

"No," Sakura said, glancing at the space in front of her, which was devoid of any logs. She would have known if it was a normal fake. She had felt chakra in the clone in front of her. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu."


	6. Of Exposure

"Who is this guy?" Sakura said angrily, pointing at Naruto, who was sitting at the head of a long rectangular table. 

After Orochimaru had disappeared they had moved to the meeting room the inn had provided for them. 

Lee stood next to Sakura, a calming hand on her arm, looking curiously between Sasuke, who stood silently behind Naruto, for once having his Anbu mask hanging from his hip instead of covering his face, and Shikamaru, who was sitting a few seats from Naruto, his cheek resting on his palm. 

Sakura continued. "He said he's a chuunin, but he can hold a Kage Bunshin long enough that the clone appeared injured. That's incredibly difficult. How did he even learn the technique? It's forbidden! No chuunin should be able to perform it." 

"Sakura, we did know a shinobi who could use Kage Bunshin as a genin," Lee reminded her, not noticing the other three men in the room shift subtly at his words. 

"This is different, Lee. Naruto was trustworthy." 

Naruto didn't know whether to be pleased she thought so highly of him or offended that she didn't consider the current him trustworthy. It was bizarre to be praised and insulted in the same sentence. 

Silence had descended over the room. It was rare that Naruto was talked about, even among those he had been closest to; it was a wound that had never fully healed. There was also an unspoken agreement that the subject was never broached around Sasuke, and now Lee and Sakura were watching him warily for a reaction. Shikamaru might have been slightly worried himself if he hadn't known Naruto was sitting in front of Sasuke looking slightly puzzled at the sudden quiet. 

Shikamaru finally spoke. "Sakura," he said. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sasuke, and I fully trust him. There's no cause for alarm." 

"Shikamaru, he knows a _forbidden_ jutsu. Plus remember what Ino said-" 

"Can everyone stop talking about me as if I'm not sitting right here?" Naruto interjected, eyebrows raised. 

Everyone turned to him. He was looking at Sakura. "I told you I was _technically_ a chuunin," he said. "I've never taken the jounin exam so I can't claim to be one, but my skills are likely at jounin level." 

"Then why didn't you tell us that upfront?" Sakura demanded. 

"Because the way you and Ino talk it is impossible to get a word in edgewise!" Naruto said in exasperation. 

It grew quiet for a moment as Naruto rolled his eyes and the other three men in the room awaited Sakura's response with bated breath. 

She did not take criticism well. 

Sure enough: "Who the hell do you think you are?" she yelled, making to lunge for him. For his part Naruto didn't even flinch. Lee managed to get a hold of her before she could get anywhere. 

Shikamaru sighed. Women were so troublesome. 

Sasuke chose to ignore Sakura. "Well, at least we know for certain that Orochimaru's alive." 

Sakura quieted down. 

"And what he's after," Shikamaru added, glancing at Naruto. 

Naruto stood. "Are we done? I'm going to bed." 

Shikamaru appeared thoughtful, then he nodded. It was fast approaching dawn. The last thing he wanted was several of his most skillful companions ill rested. "Go ahead." Turning to the rest of the shinobi in the room he said, "All of you should get some sleep as well. Orochimaru's nearby, battle could begin at anytime." 

With one last glare at Naruto, Sakura left in a huff, Lee trailing after her after smiling at them. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto walked out without another word. With a quick goodbye to Shikamaru he trailed after him. Naruto had said he was going to bed but Sasuke knew that couldn't be true. And there were things they needed to talk about; the silent treatment had gone on long enough. 

Sasuke only gave a short knock of warning before walking into Naruto's room. It was furnished just as his own room down the hall was. A bed was in the center, with a nightstand next to it, one chair, and a set of dressers stood against the far wall. 

The room was dark and Sasuke almost thought that Naruto hadn't come back until he caught sight of the light in the corner where the bathroom door was slightly ajar. He removed his katana and set it near the door, his mask resting on the hilt. 

"Naruto?" he said, pushing the door open. 

Naruto's back was to the door and he was hunched over the sink. Sasuke heard him spit before he straightened, seemingly ignoring him. He wiped his mouth then took a drink from the glass of water in his hand, sloshing it around his mouth with a grimace before leaning over and spitting again. 

This time Sasuke saw the red tint the water had to it as it disappeared into the sink. 

Naruto straightened again, not turning, but meeting Sasuke's gaze in the mirror that hung over the sink. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" he said. 

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke asked, completely ignoring his question. 

"I bit my tongue when Orochimaru kneed me in the jaw," Naruto said with a shrug, taking another mouthful of water. 

"I thought that was a clone," Sasuke said. 

"No," Naruto said after spitting again. "I didn't get a chance to Kage Bunshin until the bastard almost knocked me off the roof. He was so pleased with himself he didn't notice the real me slide down from the building." 

"You should have told Sakura you were hurt, she could have healed you." 

"And pulled down my mask, discovered who I am, faint, recover, and tell everyone within a twenty mile radius," Naruto said. "I'll take my chances with the glass of water. Besides, it'll be healed in a few hours anyway." 

Sasuke grimaced at the overt mention of Kyuubi. He backed out of the bathroom as Naruto made to exit, setting the cup on the sink as he did. 

Sasuke watched as he made his way to the bed, flopping down on his back and draping an arm over his eyes. 

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to sleep," he murmured, so low that Sasuke almost didn't catch it. 

The raven haired man felt a wave of intense anger at the fox. It wasn't fair that Naruto had to deal with this. No one should have to. No wonder Naruto was thinking about- 

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked. 

A weary "Hmm?" was his reply. 

Sasuke wasn't sure he really wanted to broach this subject, but he continued anyway. 

"The other day, when you said you were going to face Akatsuki alone," Sasuke fumbled for the words and Naruto sat up, patiently waiting for him to speak. It was rare to see the other man so flustered and Naruto smirked slightly as Sasuke searched for a way to say what he wanted to say. "Did you really-do you really want to-" Sasuke stopped, looking uncomfortable, and Naruto decided to put the poor man out of his misery. He knew what Sasuke was trying to ask. 

"Yes," he said, meeting Sasuke's eyes. "I would like to die." 

Sasuke sucked in a breath. He hadn't been expecting such a direct answer. "But-" 

"Sasuke, I haven't slept more than an hour at a time since I was seventeen. Any normal man would be dead already. If it weren't for Kyuubi's refusal to let me drop dead from exhaustion I would be. I am slowly loosing myself to a demon that will kill everything in its sight if given the chance. I rarely have human contact for fear that somehow people will discover I'm alive. The only company I ever have is from frogs, and even that is rare. Everyone I know thinks I'm _dead_. Do you have any idea what a tired, miserable, and lonely existence I lead? Dying would be a relief I can't even begin to comprehend." 

"_I_ know you're alive," Sasuke snapped. "Isn't that enough?" He had lived through the loss of his friend once, but the idea of trying to do it again was unfathomable. 

"You shouldn't know that I'm alive, Sasuke. It's not safe for anyone to know. That's why I left in the first place." 

"I can protect myself. Don't act like I'm helpless. Who are you to say we can't know you're alive?" Sasuke said angrily. "What gives you the right to make that choice for us?" 

"No one can protect themselves from this," Naruto said. "This is not some shinobi. This is _Kyuubi_." 

"That's not the point. You should give us the option! Are you afraid we'd choose to leave you alone? Is that why you ran away?" 

"No," Naruto whispered. "I was deathly afraid that for some stupid, stubborn reason, people would choose to stay with me. I cannot watch those important to me die by my hands. I refuse to do it." 

Sasuke didn't answer him. They hadn't noticed, but the morning sun had begun to peer through the window. There was a sound of a knock, and Sasuke went to answer the door, grateful for the distraction. 

Neji stood in the hall, fully dressed, including his mask. 

"They're coming," he said simply. 

Sasuke was instantly sobered by the news. "Shikamaru knows?" 

Neji nodded. "He's outside now." 

"Gather the rest of the Anbu, we'll meet outside in five minutes." 

"Hai," Neji said, disappearing. 

Sasuke closed the door, turning to see Naruto, his mask once again in place. 

Naruto shrugged. "Duty calls." 

Sasuke grabbed his fox mask and katana from their position against the wall and secured them into their places. 

"Let's go end this," he said.

* * *

Shikamaru looked towards the hill the village sat next to, watching grimly as figure after figure appeared atop it, silently staring down at them. 

They had known that Akatsuki was growing in numbers but none of them had imagined by this much. Shikamaru had some of the best ninjas Konoha had to offer standing with him, but being outnumbered at what he estimated was fifteen to one was not encouraging odds. 

Konoha ninjas were gathered at the bottom of the hill looking up at the vast amount of shinobi above them. Some of Shikamaru's men had been sent to warn the villagers, leading them away from where the battle would take place. 

Jiraiya suddenly appeared next to Shikamaru giving the younger man a nod. Looking further to his left he could see several other shinobi, including Kakashi and Gai, as well as Lee, Sakura, and Ino. Chouji, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stood in various positions on his right. 

With a small smile Shikamaru began to feel more confident. These were excellent ninjas and he would trust his life to any of them. He could think of no better honor than to fight by their sides. 

With a puff of smoke Sasuke and Naruto appeared in front of him, Tenten, Neji, and two other Anbu behind them. They nodded in greeting at Shikamaru, before turning to survey the enemy. 

"You know, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I think I liked Akatsuki better when Itachi was in charge. They were less destructive, more goal oriented, and most importantly, much smaller." 

The Konoha shinobi hadn't been speaking, but at the masked man's words a tense silence overtook them. 

Everyone, even those who had never met Sasuke, knew of Itachi and the destructive means Sasuke had gone to for revenge. 

They awaited Sasuke's response in anxiety, wondering if perhaps this masked shinobi would be the first to fall today. 

The white fox mask slowly turned to the blue eyed man, who looked steadily at the wooden face. 

"I'm going to beat the shit out of you when this is over," the voice from behind the mask said. 

The blue eyes twinkled. "Promise?" 

"Yes." 

Several shinobi breathed sighs of relief, others shivered at the thought of Uchiha Sasuke's wrath. 

Only a select few-Jiraiya and Shikamaru, who knew their history; Kakashi and Gai, who understood friendly rivalry; and, of course, Naruto and Sasuke saw the meaning behind the words. 

_ 'We're both going to survive this.' _

'Promise?' 

'Yes.' 

There was a shift at the top of the hill and Orochimaru in Kabuto's body rode into view, standing comfortably on the head of a giant snake. 

"The flashy snake entrance isn't quite as intimidating after you've seen it so many times," Naruto said quietly, rolling of his eyes. Sasuke nodded in agreement. 

"Konoha ninja's," Shikamaru said loudly so that all of those under his command could hear him. "Our mission is to protect this village and stop Akatsuki, no matter what the cost. What we do today protects Konoha. If we fail, this army is headed towards our village. Protect Konoha!" 

There was a loud cry of agreement from the shinobi behind him. 

Orochimaru laughed, folding his arms across his chest. With a simple nod to his subordinates the shinobi at the top of the hill began to charge. 

Arming themselves with kunai, shuriken, and other weapons, the ninja of Konoha prepared for battle. 

Sasuke and the four Anbu behind him pulled their katana from their backs. Naruto noticed that Neji and Tenten had weapons that differed from their comrades. Neji held a long dagger in his hand while Tenten had two katana that were shorter than the others'. Spinning them once to get a solid grip on them, she made her way quickly to the right flank, followed by Neji. The other two Anbu moved to the left, leaving Sasuke and Naruto in the middle. 

Naruto had never seen Sasuke wield a katana, but he was not surprised at the fluidity and grace of his movements as the first of the enemy reached them and were instantly struck down. 

Sasuke stabbed one Akatsuki member and, wrenching the katana from the man's abdomen, he spun to strike at another. Naruto didn't have time to admire Sasuke's skills for long, however, for the sheer numbers the Akatsuki possessed had descended upon him and his attention had to be focused on his own battles. 

Fortunately, Naruto noticed as he ducked a punch aimed for his jaw, the prestige that members of the Akatsuki formerly possessed did not seem to apply to them anymore. These ninjas were not S-class nin. Many of them weren't even jounin. It appeared that Orochimaru was going for strength in numbers. 

With a swift blow to the head with the blunt end of his kunai, the shinobi attacking Naruto fell face first into the grass. Naruto sensed rather than saw the kick coming from behind him and, turning quickly, he grabbed the attacker's ankle. With a sharp downward thrust of his elbow he broke the other man's leg at its joint. Naruto let him go and he toppled over, clutching desperately at his knee, his cries joining in with the yells and screams of others on the hill that had turned into a battlefield. 

Leaping into the air Naruto dodged two kunai that had been thrown at him and they imbedded into the ground with soft thunks. 

A fist came at him from nowhere and he blocked it, punching his assailant in the stomach. 

Shinobi began charging him in pairs. 

This was ridiculous. Every time one was struck down three more would take his place. Chancing a glance around he saw that Konoha's already small force was rapidly declining. 

Sakura had given up fighting and was now tending to the injured of their side, as were several other medical nins. 

The Anbu were fairing well, their swords allowed them to kill many enemies with ease and close range fighting was their specialty. Neji could maneuver easily with his dagger, getting in close to his enemies and cutting off their chakra flow with his free hand or limbs with his dagger. Naruto grimaced as he saw a man on his knees in front of Tenten, remaining absolutely still. Her twin blades were crossed in front of his neck. Pulling her arms apart quickly, the man's neck was sliced open, blood splattering across her white mask. 

A flash of pink caught Naruto's eye and he watched Sakura run to Kiba, who had just killed several sword wielding Akatsuki members, but had sustained a deep wound in his leg for his trouble. 

Naruto looked to Sasuke and grimly noticed that even he appeared to be struggling with the never ending onslaught of enemies. No matter how many were killed more continued coming. 

They needed more fighters. At this rate they couldn't possibly win. 

He tossed a kunai into the heart of an advancing attacker before gritting his teeth. This was most likely going to blow his cover. Between Kakashi's Sharingan, the Hyuuga's Byakugan, Kiba's nose, and Sakura's intelligence, he had no doubt someone, if not everyone, would figure him out. 

But what was the point of protecting them from himself only to let them die in battle? 

Raising his hands he crossed two fingers of his right hand vertically over two of his left. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 

He could hear the pause in the fighting as ally and enemy alike looked around in amazement at the hundreds of masked figures that had appeared in the fray. 

Using the confusion to his advantage the Narutos began to attack. The Konoha ninjas recovered from their surprise and resumed fighting with renewed vigor. 

Several shinobi had to struggle to get their heads back into the battle however, for they now knew the identity of the masked man. 


	7. Of Trust

They were winning, Kakashi realized with relief. With the help of several Naruto clones, (for there was only one man with the chakra to create this many Kage Bunshins, and one look with his Sharingan confirmed that the masked man was indeed Naruto) he and Gai slowly began making their way through the Akatsuki and towards Orochimaru. 

Pushing the shock and other emotions he felt at the knowledge of Naruto being alive and well into the back of his mind for the time being, he concentrated on the battle at hand. It wouldn't do to get distracted. 

Orochimaru was strong, but if he worked with Naruto and Gai, perhaps they would be able to defeat him. 

Gai seemed to read his thoughts, for when the two of them made it through the shinobi that separated them from Orochimaru they both began to run towards him, the beginnings of Chidori in Kakashi's right palm. 

They skidded to a stop when one of the Naruto's suddenly appeared in front of them, hands raised to stop them. 

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked, allowing Chidori to fade away. 

Gai choked in surprise when Kakashi addressed the other man; looking quickly at his masked face for confirmation that this was indeed the boy from ten years before. 

If Naruto was surprised that Kakashi had figured him out he didn't show it. "You should probably stay here, Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei." 

"Why is that?" Kakashi asked, refusing to let his old student stop him from getting to Orochimaru without a good reason. 

Naruto looked over his shoulder and they followed his gaze, watching as another Naruto seemed to be pleading with Jiraiya, who stood not far from Orochimaru's snake. "Ero sennin is about to do something very stupid." Naruto looked back at them, glancing behind them. "Your old students need some help," he said with a quick nod in the direction they weren't facing before disappearing back into the fight. 

They turned to see Lee struggling to fight off an extremely large group ninja, protecting Sakura, who was a short distance behind him, working intently on Kiba's leg. Akamaru crouched loyally in front of his owner, trying to take care of anyone who made it past Lee. 

They quickly went to help, leaving Orochimaru to Jiraiya. 

"Ero sennin, this is a bad idea!" Naruto said as Jiraiya bit his thumb. "There are too many people here. Plus he told me that the next time you summoned him he was going to eat you." Naruto frowned. "What the hell did you do?" 

Jiraiya paused for a moment, looking grim. "One of his sons was killed, probably by Akatsuki, while gathering information for me." 

"Information on what?" Naruto asked. 

"On you." 

"Me?" Naruto said, confused. 

"Tsunade and I worry about you, kid. We checked up on you now and then." 

Naruto stared at him in surprise. He'd just assumed everyone would have moved on when he was gone. The more people he talked to the more it seemed he had never been more wrong. Naruto smiled under his mask, a warm tingle of happiness filling him. 

At his distraction Jiraiya did the hand seals and slammed his palm to the ground. 

"Baka!" Naruto said, leaping backwards, warm feeling gone. 

With a poof of smoke Naruto found himself next to an extremely large red flipper. 

The fighting on the hill slowed as the shinobi took in the sight of the gigantic frog that had suddenly appeared. 

Gama Bunta rolled his eyes upwards to see who stood on his head, much as Naruto did when Gamakichi perched on his. When he discovered Jiraiya, Naruto could feel the anger radiate from the frog. 

"Jiraiya!" he boomed, the pipe in his mouth bouncing. "How dare you summon me after what you have done?" 

His rough tongue flew up to grab the Sannin, but Naruto called to him. "Boss!" 

Gama Bunta paused, looking down at him and retracting his tongue. "What are you doing here, brat?" 

"Don't eat the pervert, boss," Naruto said. "If anyone killed your son it was Akatsuki." He pointed to Orochimaru, who was only paying mild attention to them from his snake. "Orochimaru is their leader. You should extract your revenge on them." 

Gama Bunta growled at Orochimaru, a surprising noise to hear from a frog. "Fine," he said. "But I want you with me, not him." 

"I can't, boss," Naruto said, pointing behind him. "I'm a little busy at the moment." 

Gama Bunta looked over his shoulder at the battle raging behind him, taking in all the clones. 

"Besides, Ero sennin is more powerful than me," he said to the frog. 

Gama Bunta snorted. "I wouldn't be so sure." 

Jiraiya looked ready to say something uncouth, but Gama Bunta continued. "Fine, Jiraiya, let's get this over with." He reached behind him, unsheathing his katana. 

"Boss, try not to crush us down here," Naruto called. 

"Baka," Gama Bunta said. "I don't put any of my sons in danger." 

Jiraiya looked around the battlefield for the younger frogs. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he didn't spot any. It was when he saw Naruto pat the frog's large flipper fondly before running off into battle that he realized with wide eyes that Gama Bunta had been referring to none other than Naruto himself. 

To be held in such high favor by Gama Bunta-what had happened between them over the years? 

"That frog," Sasuke said to the Naruto fighting next to him. "Is he the one you summoned when we were young?" 

Blocking a punch and smashing his fist into his opponent's face, Naruto answered. "Yeah. That's Gama Bunta. If frogs were ninjas he'd be the hokage." 

Sasuke nodded, slicing through an enemy's stomach with a swipe of his katana. When the man fell to the ground in a still heap Sasuke flicked some blood from his katana with a jerk of his wrist. 

If either man thought that carrying on a conversation in these conditions was odd they didn't act like it. 

"Kage Bunshin probably gave you away," Sasuke said, spinning and kicking a man away from him. "It was one thing when you did one, but this many is bound to cause some suspicion." 

"Yeah," Naruto grunted, ducking a punch. "I talked to Kakashi, he definitely knows." 

It was strange for Sasuke to think that Naruto was in so many places at once. He knew these were clones, but they all communicated as if they were a single person. One was fighting at his side while another was talking to Kakashi, but both knew exactly what was happening on each end. It must be an incredible task to keep them all straight. 

"So where's the real you?" Sasuke asked, looking through the slits of his Anbu mask to see a Naruto pat Gama Bunta on the flipper before jumping back into the battle. "With the frog?" 

"The real me does need to handle the most important things, of course," Naruto answered. 

Orochimaru was growing tired of this battle. He was losing too many men and he was not in the mood to fight Jiraiya and his pet. His new body was so close, just slightly down the hill. Most people couldn't tell the difference between the real man and the clones, but he could feel the intoxicating power of Kyuubi in only one of the masked men. 

He just needed Naruto unconscious. The young man was strong however, stronger than Orochimaru could have hoped and smarter than he had realized. He'd underestimated him before, this time there would be no mistakes. 

But as he watched the real Naruto, he realized what his weakness was. 

As Jiraiya and Gama Bunta prepared to attack him he made his move. Lifting his arm, he signaled his men to draw back. They retreated behind him, leaving the Konoha fighters confused. The snake he rode on then drove his thick tail into the ground, the signal for the other giant snake, which had burrowed under ground and was lying in wait, to make its move. 

Several Konoha ninjas were tossed into the air as the snake emerged from the ground in a flurry of earth and rocks. Its fangs were bared and it flew directly at its target, who was caught off guard and unable to get away. 

Sasuke could only watch as the snake came at him with speeds even he had no hope of outrunning. He felt a sharp jar and the world titled as he found himself tumbling down the hill. Regaining himself, he rolled to his feet, slightly dazed, before turning to look at the spot he'd been standing in. 

The Naruto he had been fighting with was there panting, his right hand gripping a kunai that was digging into the snake's nose, looking very small against the large face. One of the snake's sharp fangs was impaled through Naruto's left forearm. 

Sasuke waited for the poof of a defeated clone and felt his stomach twist with every second it didn't occur. 

Then the familiar popping noise sounded, and he and the other Konoha ninjas watched as the fifty or so remaining clones disappeared. 

The snake suddenly ripped his fang from Naruto's arm, blood flying through the air as he raised his head, hissing viciously. He snapped his jaws, but before he was able to even think about attacking again, his head had been detached from his body, each part falling heavily to the ground. Gama Bunta now stood between the two pieces of snake, gripping his sword tightly. 

Sasuke moved swiftly to Naruto, who seemed slightly dizzy. When he reached him the other man teetered on his feet and Sasuke quickly sheathed his sword, catching him as he wobbled. Naruto's knees gave out and Sasuke supported his weight, lowering him gently to the ground. 

"I thought you were with the frog?" Sasuke said, amazed to find out that the real Naruto had been by his side the entire battle. "You idiot! Why didn't you use a clone to push me out of the way?" 

"I told you," Naruto said, breaths coming heavily. "Important things have to be handled by the real me." 

Sakura rushed to them. She had no idea why Akatsuki had stopped fighting, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Most eyes were on the wounded young man, even Jiraiya and Gama Bunta's and especially Orochimaru's. 

The pink haired medical nin checked his wound first. The thick fang had fractured Naruto's arm when it had impaled him and he was bleeding heavily. Sakura quickly noted his shallow breathing and, moving his head protector just a bit she felt his forehead for a fever. He was burning up. 

"The snake must have been poisonous," she said, and Sasuke's hands clenched into angry fists. Sakura leaned over Naruto, placing her hand gently on his covered hair. "Do you feel any pain-" she paused before finishing the question softly with, "Naruto?" 

Sasuke looked at her in surprise. She had finally figured it out. 

They could see Naruto smile under his mask. "You were always too smart for my own good Sakura-chan. No, no pain. My arm's gone numb I think." 

"I can't heal this wound with the poison still in you. Plus your arm may need surgery if the fang caused the bone to shatter." 

"Then just put a bandage on me and I'll wait until I get back," Naruto said between pants. 

His increasingly weak breaths worried her. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto's eyes began to look distant and unfocused. 

"Naruto, stay awake," he said, shaking his good arm. Two very bad things could happen if Naruto lost consciousness and Sasuke didn't want to witness either one. 

Naruto was putting up a valiant fight to stay awake, but his vision was swimming. He could only vaguely hear Sasuke speaking to him, and as the poison spread through his body he was becoming numb, so that Sasuke's tight grip on his arm went completely unnoticed. 

Soon his eyes closed and his body relaxed. 

"Naruto?" Sasuke said. There was no response. "Sakura, we need to get him out of here," Sasuke said, making to scoop the limp man into his arms. 

"No, don't move him!" Sakura said, placing a hand over Naruto's chest. "It could move the poison faster through his blood stream." 

Orochimaru stood atop his snake, his mouth curled into a victorious sneer. His hands flew in a flurry of seals. The snake venom would not affect the body once he had control over it. 

Sasuke and Sakura moved back slightly as Naruto's unconscious body suddenly arched up from the ground with a gasp as if he'd been kicked. 

Looking quickly over his shoulder at Orochimaru, Sasuke saw with a sinking heart that only Kabuto's unmoving body lay on the snake's head. Orochimaru's consciousness must have moved, he realized, looking back at Naruto, who was now still.

* * *

Orochimaru looked around in confusion. He had never had this happen when he had entered a body before. 

He recognized where he was immediately. The streets of Konoha didn't look much different than when he had been a child. There was a feel to his surroundings, however, that told him he was not in the real Konoha. 

A young boy no older than seven walked past him, a shock of wild bright yellow hair covering his head. He walked by an alley between two stores and suddenly someone spoke. The voice was deep and Orochimaru could hear the malice in it. 

"Hey, kid, come here," a stocky man said from the shadows, thick black hair falling around his face. 

The young boy looked at him fearfully, backing away slowly. 

"Respect your elders you little shit," the man hissed, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him into the alley. 

The boy cried out in surprise and fear, but the villagers who heard him turned away, pretending not to. 

Orochimaru followed them into the alley, not having anywhere else to go. 

The man slapped Naruto across his young whiskered face, the force of the blow sending him sprawling to the ground. "Stop your screaming or I'll kill you." 

The boy quieted immediately. His stifled his cries as the man began to beat him, cursing him and spitting on him. 

Both Orochimaru and the man watched pitilessly as Naruto sobbed quietly on the ground. 

When the man began to unbutton his pants Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. Now that was interesting. Things like that left deep emotional scars. Naruto had obviously kept up quite the facade when he had been younger. This information could be used to his advantage. 

Naruto began to scramble away, terrified. The man advanced steadily towards him. 

"Some skeletons are better left in the closet," a low voice said from behind him. 

Turning, Orochimaru came face to face with the adult Naruto. He was unmasked and staring calmly at Orochimaru. 

"Kyuubi killed his family," Naruto said, by way of explanation. 

Behind him Orochimaru could hear the young Naruto's screams. "How did it feel?" the dark haired man asked, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. 

"The most painful thing I've ever experienced," Naruto said flatly. With a wave of his hand the screams were silenced and the memory was gone. They stood alone in darkness, only able to see one another. "You shouldn't be poking around in my memories." 

"Did no one come to investigate the screams?" Orochimaru asked, a small smile on his face. 

"Why should they have?" Naruto asked. "It was only the demon child." 

"And still, you protect these people. Why?" 

Naruto didn't answer the question, but if it was because he didn't want to or simply couldn't, Orochimaru didn't know. 

"Konoha doesn't recognize greatness in good, Naruto-kun. To show your true strength, you must force them to see it. Make them fear you and they will see you and your power. Together we could destroy those who refuse to acknowledge our power." 

Naruto gazed steadily at him. "You shouldn't be here, Orochimaru." 

Orochimaru noticed the sudden echo of Naruto's words. There was a noise of slowly dripping water that sounded loudly throughout the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized he was in a large dark room made of stone. 

"Get out of here, kit," a big voice said from the darkness. 

"I'm not your kit, stop calling me that," Naruto snapped. 

There was a snort. "You have no power right now." Tendrils of red chakra were wrapping themselves around Naruto, slowly tightening. "Retreat back to your memories for now, I have things to discuss." 

Naruto's fists clenched at his sides as he was rendered motionless. "This is not your decision to make, bastard fox!" 

The fox didn't answer and Naruto was suddenly tossed backward, disappearing into the blur of color that was his memories speeding by. 

The voice spoke, but Orochimaru could not find its source. "What are you doing?" it asked. 

"I want to take over Naruto's body," Orochimaru replied, unafraid. 

There was a sniff. "You smell of evil. Much more refreshing than the kit's scent. What do you want with his body?" 

"I want power." 

"My power." It was not a question. 

"You'll have a much freer reign under my control. I don't mind letting you take over once in a while." 

There was a low rumble and it sounded as if the fox were laughing. "See, human, that is where you have misjudged me. I don't plan to be under anyone's _control_. Kit does not control me. He fights me with his entire being. For that he has gained my respect, despite my hatred of him. 

You are arrogant to assume you could control him, and even more arrogant still to think you could control me. 

You are powerful and evil, and perhaps together we could do much damage, but I've spent too many years with this brat. I have been slowly merging with him, weakening the seal as the years go on. I cannot allow you to come in after all this work and ruin it. 

When I am free, after destroying those important to the brat, you'll be my next target. If I could eat you now I would, but I'm not yet free to move around." 

Orochimaru finally saw where the voice was coming from as two glowing red eyes came into view, separated from him by a large set of vertical metal bars. The eyes flashed and Orochimaru felt a sharp jolt. When he opened his eyes he realized he was back in Kabuto's body, lying atop the snake. He angrily climbed to his feet, glaring at Naruto. 

The fox had not only rejected him, he had threatened to kill him. 

No matter, the poison would take care of them both anyway. 

Calling a retreat to his forces, he and the snake he stood on disappeared.

* * *

They waited with bated breath after Naruto had gone still. If he woke up and was Orochimaru they had to be prepared. 

After several moments there was a flare of red chakra that suddenly surrounded Naruto's body. Sasuke and Sakura backed away quickly. 

The flare of chakra was a familiar sight to Jiraiya, who had seen a similar occurrence with Sasuke ten years before. Looking to Kabuto's body he saw it stand. He smiled. Naruto had fought him off. 

Sasuke could feel that Orochimaru was no longer inside Naruto, however he had no time to feel happy. Naruto's eyes had snapped open. They were blood red. 

"Sakura get back!" he said, as Naruto began to stand. Sakura moved away quickly, recognizing the seriousness of her former teammate's voice, and even though his mask covered his expression, Sakura could almost picture the grim set of his jaw as Naruto stood. 

The Akatsuki was gone, but Shikamaru realized instantly that the threat to their lives was not over. 

Hinata and Neji were watching with wide pupil-less eyes. The chakra was not normal. They could almost see the anger it radiated. There was such an abundance of it as well. Fighting Naruto, (with their Byakugan it hadn't been difficult to discover who he was, although their emotions at the discovery were another matter entirely), in this state it would be impossible to win, even with everyone working together. 

The older generation of shinobi stared in horror at the man who now radiated visible red chakra. They knew exactly who he was now. They had not felt that chakra for over twenty five years, and with this man's apparent death ten years ago they had believed themselves rid of it for good. 

Pulling down Naruto's mask, Kyuubi looked around at all the potential victims with a feral grin, elongated fangs gleaming. 

When the mask was removed and the whiskered cheeks shown, anyone who hadn't realized his identity was instantly informed. 

Kyuubi's red eyes fell on Sasuke and his grin grew wider. "You shall be the first," he said, stalking towards the dark haired Anbu. 

"Naruto," Sasuke said, backing away. "Fight it." 

Naruto's face twisted into a sneer. "He's very tired. Not sleeping for ten years will do that to you." 

Kyuubi crouched, lowering Naruto's center of gravity, preparing to leap at Sasuke. He suddenly stopped, dropping to his knees. "What?" he said angrily. 

A few yards away Shikamaru was on his knees as well, face showing immense strain as he struggled to hold his Kagemane no jutsu on the powerful creature. 

"Sasuke, snap him out of it! You're the only one who can," he said through gritted teeth and closed eyes. He didn't even notice Chouji and Ino worriedly kneeling at his side. 

Sasuke moved quickly, dropping to his knees in front of Naruto and pulling his Anbu mask off. Several ninjas thought getting that close to a demon was a stupid move but no one dared try to get the Anbu to back away. 

"Naruto, you have to fight him." 

Kyuubi snarled viciously. 

"I'm not running away, and there's no way I can beat Kyuubi. So if you don't want me to die you'd better get control, dobe!" Sasuke said, repeating the words Naruto had yelled at him ten years before. 

Shikamaru's jutsu broke and the young jounin collapsed, completely drained from his desperate effort. Ino and Chouji caught him before he could fall face first into the ground. 

The ninjas of Konoha watched in horror as Kyuubi raised a clawed hand to slice through Sasuke, who made no attempt to dodge. 

Suddenly Kyuubi's eyes flashed and became purple. Sasuke remained where he was, keeping eye contact with the man in front of him. 

Naruto fell to all fours, his fingers digging into the earth and red chakra still swirling around him. 

Shino raised an eyebrow in understanding. He'd felt this chakra before. This was not the first time Naruto had had to battle with the fox. 

Suddenly the red chakra was sucked back into Naruto with such force that he was tossed backwards and slid several feet. 

Sasuke moved to his side, relieved to be looking down into blue eyes. 

"That," Naruto panted, looking intently at the man he had almost clawed in half moments before. "Is a dangerous game." 

"It's a game of trust," Sasuke said with a small smirk.

* * *

A/N: Sorry, no reactions to Naruto's return in this chapter. The poor ninjas had much too much going on to be able to properly reflect or deal with the emotions his appearance will bring. So just like them, I pushed reactions to the back of their minds, to save for a time when I can give them the attention they deserve. 


	8. Of Decisions

Sasuke stood nearby as Sakura gently wrapped Naruto's arm. Blood began seeping through the white bandages as soon as she wrapped them, but there was nothing else to be done. 

Those who had known Naruto stood around anxiously, not too close, but not very far from him either. Emotions and questions were flashing through their minds as they watched him lying on the ground, struggling for breath. It amazed them, now that the young man's mask was down, that they hadn't recognized him before. He looked almost the same but older. His face was more defined and the marks on his cheeks were somehow wider, but everything else remained the same, right down to the blue eyes and tan skin. 

The ninja who hadn't known Naruto, and therefore had hated or feared him, stayed at a distance from him, despite his weakened appearance. Those who weren't wounded helped other medical nins move the injured and dead. 

"Naruto, you need to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible," Sakura told him when the arm was bandaged. Naruto's eyes were closed, but she knew he was awake. "I don't have the ingredients to create a antidote." 

Blue eyes opened to peer thoughtfully at her. "What happens if it's left untreated?" 

Sakura looked down at him in confusion. "You'll die," she said. 

"Does it happen quickly?" he asked between breaths. 

She didn't understand why he was asking such a question and looked at Sasuke in confusion. Did Naruto want to die? Sasuke saw her expression and made to move towards them, but Naruto raised his voice slightly, saying, "This is a conversation between my doctor and I, Sasuke." 

The dark haired man froze, before crossing his arms and turning his head away with a "Humph." 

The rest of the friends looked on in confusion. 

"Well, Sakura-chan?" 

"Naruto, I don't understand-" 

"Just answer me," Naruto said, with a serious tone she'd never heard from him before. 

Sakura studied him for a moment before complying. "The snake venom has three phases. The first is what you are in; it causes paralysis. It is slowing down your heart and lungs, which is why you are having trouble breathing. To be honest, I don't know how you're still conscious. The snake usually eats its prey before this stage is over, but humans have discovered that if the venom remains in the system for more than a couple of hours the poison begins to react to the blood, giving a person the sensation of being burnt from the inside. Shinobi often use it for torture." 

Naruto remained quiet, waiting for her to continue. 

"This can continue for hours before the person dies. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will be able to make the antidote, so if we can just find a way to get you back quickly-" 

"I'd rather just stay here," Naruto said, closing his eyes again. 

"But Naruto!" Sakura said. 

"Like hell you are," another voice said. 

Naruto didn't open his eyes. "Sasuke, I told you to stay out of this." 

Sasuke may not have been close enough to hear the conversation, but another advantage the Sharingan gave him was it made it very easy to read lips. 

"Sakura," Sasuke said. "See if Jiraiya can get Gama Bunta to give Naruto a ride back to Konoha." 

Naruto growled, opening his eyes to glare at Sasuke who was standing above him. "This isn't your decision to make, Uchiha." The sentence lacked much force behind it though, for Naruto was still struggling for air. 

Sakura hesitated, but Sasuke glared at her and she quickly stood and went to Jiraiya, leaving the two men alone. 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, dobe?" Sasuke asked when she left. 

"Nothing that should come as a surprise to you," Naruto wheezed. 

Sasuke kneeled next to him, placing his weight on his heels. "I'm not going to let you use me as an excuse to kill yourself." 

"I'm not using you as an excuse, I'm using the large snake bite in my arm." 

"You only got bitten because you pushed me out of the way." 

"Would you please drop the self loathing thing? It's extremely annoying. This is my life, Sasuke. If I want to risk it by keeping you from being eaten, that's my decision. And if I'd rather stay here than rush back to Konoha on the chance that Tsunade can heal me, that's also my decision." 

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, listening to Naruto's unsteady breaths. Finally he spoke, "And if our positions were reversed and I was the one opting to stay rather than go back, what would you do?" 

Naruto sighed. "Send you back kicking and screaming." 

They could hear Sakura returning. "Gama Bunta says he can get you back to Konoha in a few hours," she said, nervously awaiting Naruto's reaction. 

"Well, since that freak of a frog is more stubborn than Sasuke it looks like I don't have any choice in the matter," Naruto said in a cheerful manner that varied greatly from the serious tone he'd been using with Sasuke only moments before. 

"Disrespectful brat!" Gama Bunta boomed, extending his tongue to gently pick him up. 

"Sasuke," Naruto said, before it pulled him up. "I'm sorry." Then he was whisked away and laid on the top of Gama Bunta's head. 

Sorry for what? Sasuke thought in confusion. Was Naruto planning something? 

"I'm coming with you," Jiraiya said, glaring up at the frog as if daring him to say no. Gama Bunta was not the only one who cared for Naruto as a son. 

The frog nodded and Jiraiya leapt to his head. 

Sasuke took a step forward, considering going with them. Naruto's last words left him extremely uneasy. He paused, feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw Kakashi standing behind him. "Sasuke," he said, with a nod in the direction of Chouji and Ino who were watching what was going on, but kneeling next to an unconscious Shikamaru. "With Shikamaru recovering we need you here." 

Sasuke hesitated, looking up at the frog, then back to the leaderless shinobi. 

Kakashi was right; he had a duty to the troops. Gama Bunta set off at a high speed and soon he was out of sight. Sasuke watched them go, regretting his decision almost immediately.

* * *

Tsunade may not have looked it, but she was getting too old for this. 

When Jiraiya arrived on Gama Bunta, a writhing Naruto in his arms, she had sprung into action, doing her best to ignore the tightening in her chest they carried Naruto to a hospital room. 

She'd lost too many people and grimly vowed Naruto would not be added to that list. 

The young man was obviously in severe pain. His eyes were clenched tightly and his teeth ground together in an attempt to keep himself from screaming. Tsunade was surprised he was able to remain conscious. 

As soon as Jiraiya explained what had happened Tsunade recognized the snake venom. A lethal poison used mostly for torture. It would figure Orochimaru would have access to such a substance. 

The cure for it had only recently been discovered, and fortunately Tsunade had all the ingredients needed to make it. 

As she injected it into Naruto's arm, she couldn't help but think about how close she had come to having to announce his death. Again. Another hour and there would have been nothing she could have done. 

Thinking about that now would do her no good, though. She glanced at Naruto, whose face was angled towards the right so he couldn't see what she was doing. He was extremely quiet and she could only assume he was focusing all of his energy on hiding any indication of being in pain. 

He had refused to allow her to give him any type of drug before she preformed surgery on his wounded arm. He did not want to risk losing consciousness again. Tsunade could only imagine what it felt like to have her poking around in his arm with her metal instruments with nothing to dull the pain. 

She was impressed though. Naruto managed to remain absolutely still for her. 

He surprised her when he suddenly spoke, but he'd at least had the intelligence to wait until she had paused her work to ask Shizune for a different instrument. 

"Will this take long to heal, Tsunade-baba?" he asked, staring blankly at the white tile wall. The operating room was so boring. It had the dull sterile feel one expected from a hospital and it was doing nothing to distract him from what she was doing to his arm. 

Tsunade peered at him over her white surgeon's mask. "For a normal person I'd say a month or so, but with your unique healing capabilities-probably less than a week." She began probing into his arm again with what looked like a large pair of tweezers. Carefully, she searched for the tiny fragments of bone that had been shattered. 

"I'm leaving after the surgery," Naruto said resolutely. He'd only stayed for the surgery because Tsunade had warned him that without it his arm would become useless. 

"What?" Tsunade said, her chocolate eyes looking up from his arm and at his face, which remained averted. "Can't you at least wait a day? Give yourself a chance to start healing." 

"No, I need to go as soon as possible," Naruto said firmly. Kyuubi was closer now, his presence buzzing constantly in his mind, an unpleasant reminder of why he'd left in the first place. 

He also knew he needed to leave before everyone returned. Assuming they remained at the village for the night and headed home this morning he guessed that they wouldn't be back until the next day. When Gama Bunta had brought him in yesterday Tsunade had given him the antidote and refused to operate on his arm until the morning, to give him a chance to rest. Not that he actually slept, but it had given him a chance to think. 

Everyone knew now and he did not have the desire nor the strength to handle the questions that would undoubtedly be thrown his way. 

Then of course there was his biggest problem. 

Sasuke. 

He knew, without a doubt, that the dark haired Anbu would not let him leave easily. 

Naruto had known he was going to regret coming back. He was getting too close. How many times when he was a kid had he wished Sasuke would acknowledge him as a friend? And now it seemed as though Sasuke genuinely did. 

But, there was a reason ninja so rarely befriended one another. Too many dangers in such actions. Caring about others could be used by the enemy as a weakness. Orochimaru had done it. If he had sent the snake directly at Naruto, he would have dodged. But by sending him at Sasuke, he had ensured that Naruto would take the hit. Caring impairs judgment and distracts on a battlefield. 

Naruto had to distance himself from Sasuke for both their sakes. 

He had no particular attachment to his own life. He would gladly give it for Sasuke. He would not, however, allow himself to become Sasuke's weakness. 

Naruto had been spiraling out of control for years and he would not let Sasuke throw away his life for a hopeless cause such as his own. The path Naruto walked held only one certainty that he could see: death. 

This was why he needed to be gone before Sasuke returned. Gone, and far enough that the Anbu couldn't pursue him. Because Sasuke wouldn't listen to reason, and Sasuke was the only one who could weaken his resolve.

* * *

Shikamaru was tired. 

Not the normal tired that accompanied a long day, or the kind of tired he always seemed to feel whenever he had to deal with something troublesome. Shikamaru was weary, and, despite the fact he'd just now floated back to consciousness, he could feel exhaustion threatening to claim him already. 

As a man who went out of his way to ensure that he didn't exert himself unless absolutely necessary, the effort it required to open his eyes almost didn't seem worth it; however, even in his half awake state he could sense the presence of many people. 

It took him several blinks to clear his vision and a few more moments to understand where he was. The feel of the soft mattress under him reminded him he was in his room in the hotel, and from there memories began to resurface. 

He'd used all of his chakra when holding the Kagemane no jutsu on Kyuubi. The moment the shadow connected with Naruto he felt the intense power trying to break free. It had knocked him to all fours immediately. After his jutsu broke he'd blacked out, and he only vaguely remembered speaking to Chouji and Ino somewhere between the battlefield and his room. They'd told him Naruto's condition and that he was already headed back to Konoha with Jiraiya. 

"Is he going to be okay, Sakura?" Shikamaru heard a female voice ask. Ino. Pink hair suddenly filled his vision as Sakura leaned over him, checking on him. 

"He'll be fine, he just used up all of his chakra," she replied. Startled green eyes met tired brown ones. "You're awake," Sakura said in surprise, looking down at him. 

"Let me see!" Ino said, and Sakura was suddenly pulled from his line of vision to be replaced with a scowling blonde. Shikamaru blinked. He knew that look, but he had no idea what he'd done to piss her off this time. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" she said. 

Shikamaru's normally quick mind sluggishly tried to understand her question but was coming up with nothing. Regretting the action the minute he took it, he pushed himself into a sitting position, raising an eyebrow when he saw how many people were crowed into his room. The original rookie nine, except for Sasuke and Naruto, and Gai's old team was present. He wasn't quite sure how they had all managed to fit into his room. They were all looking at him, waiting for an answer to the question he didn't understand. 

"Tell you what?" he asked. 

"Naruto. You knew he was alive and didn't tell us!" Ino said angrily. 

"I knew something weird was going on," Kiba muttered from the chair near Shikamaru's bed. Sakura had managed to heal his leg, but it would be sore for a few days. Akamaru barked at his feet. 

"Why didn't you tell us, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked. He didn't seem as angry as Ino or some of the others, the poor man just looked confused and upset at the idea of his best friend hiding something from him. 

"He asked me not to," Shikamaru answered truthfully. 

"Why wouldn't he want us to know?" Lee asked. 

"I don't understand," Hinata said. She had never become any less soft spoken, so when she talked the group had learned to quiet down and listen, otherwise no one would hear what the young woman said. She looked tiny standing next to the tall figure of Shino. "Why has he been pretending to be dead?" 

They were looking to Shikamaru for answers he didn't have. "You have to ask Naruto," he said. 

"Don't give us that ask Naruto bullshit," Kiba snapped. "Tell us what you know." 

Shikamaru could feel the exhaustion creeping through his body, and all he wanted to do was crawl under the blankets and sleep. 

"That is all I know," he said. Why did everyone have to be so troublesome? "He hasn't told me anything about where he's been or why he left. When I asked he told me it was a long story and Sasuke looked ready to throw a kunai into me for even mentioning it. The only thing I can tell you is to go ask Sasuke-" at this Kiba snorted, "-who may or may not know, or wait until we get back and ask Naruto." 

It seemed obvious that Shikamaru really didn't know any more that they did. He wouldn't deal with the trouble of saying so many words if he were lying. 

"That is, of course, assuming he hasn't died," Sakura said, surprising them all. She was looking coolly at Shikamaru. "You should have at least told me," she said. "Don't you think that _I_ had a right to know?" 

"Sakura," he said. "It wasn't my decision. Even if I had wanted to go against Naruto's wishes, Tsunade-sama forbid me to tell anyone." 

Sakura didn't appear mollified at his words, but she didn't say anything else. 

"Tsunade?" Kiba said. "What is this, some huge conspiracy?" 

Neji had been quietly standing near the door, his Anbu mask hanging from his hip. "Shikamaru, what was that red chakra? Your use of your jutsu this morning indicates that you knew what was going on." 

Shikamaru sighed. Finally someone asks him a question that he can answer and it was yet another thing the Hokage had ordered him to never talk about. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't discuss it with you," he said. 

There was a murmur of discontent throughout the room. 

"Definitely a conspiracy," Kiba said.

* * *

The journey back to Konoha was very slow and very tense. What was usually a day's walk would probably take almost two since they were slowed by the injured. Shikamaru observed the returning group with a sigh. The group of fifty had been reduced to thirty, almost half of which had been left injured. 

They had waited a day before setting out for Konoha, giving both the injured and the healthy a chance to rest before the long walk. 

After his inquisition, Shikamaru's friends had left, and he had taken advantage of the quiet, sleeping through the day and waking refreshed this morning. 

His friends knew he knew more than he was telling, and because of this they were giving him the cold shoulder. At times during the walk he could feel a glare or two directed towards him. They wanted answers, but he was not the one who could give them. Even if he hadn't been ordered not to speak of Kyuubi he wouldn't have told them. It was Naruto's secret to divulge, no one else's. 

Besides, he had more important things to worry about than getting the silent treatment. 

Sasuke walked next to him, and for all the calm and poise he outwardly presented, Shikamaru could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. 

Sasuke was too busy brooding to pay any attention to Shikamaru. Gama Bunta and Jiraiya had left midmorning yesterday. If they didn't get to Konoha in time, or Tsunade didn't have the ingredients she needed, Naruto was probably already dead. And it would be his fault. Again. 

If he hadn't frozen up he may have been able to dodge the snake. If he had at least tried, Naruto wouldn't have had to push him out of the way. 

Sasuke heaved a frustrated sigh. At this pace they were still almost a day's walk away from Konoha. 

"Sasuke," Shikamaru said, casting a glance at him. "You should go on ahead." 

The fox mask turned to him quickly. 

"Tsunade-sama should be informed of the battle and prepared to treat our wounded," Shikamaru said, a hardly noticeable sly gleam in his eyes. He hadn't forgotten that Jiraiya was already at Konoha, and fully capable of informing Tsunade. 

Behind his mask Sasuke nearly grinned. Shikamaru was giving him an excuse to get back to Konoha as quickly as he could. 

Without another word Sasuke took off immediately. At full speed he could be back in Konoha in a few hours.

* * *

The sun had set several hours before and the soft light of the crescent moon shone gently over the group of shinobi. They had stopped earlier in a small clearing of forest that they could all comfortably sleep in. 

They were close to Konoha now, and those who often ventured from the village had begun to recognize their surroundings. Still, they were far enough away that Shikamaru had opted to allow them all to rest for the night, and the remaining few hours could be walked in the morning. 

Most of the shinobi were sleeping, save the few who were on guard duty. 

Kakashi sat high in a tree, leaning against the thick trunk and scanning the forest from his vantage point while absently twirling a kunai between his fingers. He wasn't officially on guard duty, but sleep would not come easily tonight. 

Naruto's sudden and secretive return was preying on his mind, as was his earlier struggle with the Kyuubi. He couldn't help but wonder if the two were related somehow. There were so many unanswered questions and until he returned to Konoha there was no one to answer them. 

An angry presence suddenly entered his senses, but, for all the emotion it gave off, Kakashi could tell it held no harmful intent, so he calmly continued twirling his kunai. 

Sakura suddenly walked into his line of sight and would have looked like she was taking a normal walk if she wasn't moving sideways up the tree, gravity pulling her long hair towards the ground. Stepping onto the large tree branch he occupied, she took a seat. 

He kept up his usual nonchalance because he could tell it was comforting to the woman. So many things had changed so quickly that it was nice to know that some things remained constant. 

"Tell me you didn't know, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, staring down at the shinobi fifty feet below them. 

"About Naruto?" he asked. "No, Sakura, I had no idea." 

"How is he still alive? Why didn't he tell us?" Her tone became angry. "Why would he go to _Sasuke_? Sasuke killed-almost killed him!" 

Kakashi had always wondered if Sakura had kept her word. Tsunade had told him that in the heat of battle Sakura had told Orochimaru, whom she had thought was Sasuke, that she would never forgive him for Naruto's death. Afterward everyone understood that it hadn't actually been Sasuke who killed Naruto, but they all recognized that Sasuke's decisions had ultimately led to the young man's death. 

Obviously, no matter how civil Sakura was to her former teammate, she had held to her vow. 

Kakashi didn't know how to answer her. He had no idea what had transpired between Naruto and Sasuke in their first and second fights. "Maybe Sasuke simply found out like Shikamaru. Or maybe what Naruto really needed wasn't a friend, but a little friendly competition," he suggested. 

Sakura sighed, letting her dangling legs sway back and forth. "He'd better be all right," she said solemnly. Then, as if trying to lighten her own mood, she added, "Because I'm going to give him an earful when we get back!" She raised her fist and her eyes flashed. 

Kakashi's visible eye curved into a smile, pleased to see his former student more like her old self. Although, he'd feel bad for Naruto when she got to him. Something told him the younger man was in for quite a few lumps on the head.

* * *

A/N: Some amazing artists have sent me fanart based on my story. The links are in my bio since ff. net refuses to let me put a link in here. Check them out, they are awesome. 


	9. Of Running

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked up in surprise when Sasuke burst through her office doors. He'd actually used the doors this time since the hole he'd made several days before was now boarded up. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk ignoring the stacks of paper work littered across it and Jiraiya was leaning comfortably in the chair in front of the desk. 

"Is he okay?" Sasuke asked the Sannin. 

Tsunade blinked at him before answering. "He's fine, Sasuke, but—" 

"Can I see him?" 

"Sasuke," Tsunade said, biting her bottom lip. "He's not here." 

"Where is he? In the hospital?" Sasuke asked. 

"No, Sasuke, he left. He's not in Konoha." 

They couldn't see his face under his Anbu mask, but his suddenly rigid body told them that the news wasn't being well received. 

"When did he leave?" he asked in a low voice. 

"A couple of hours ago," Tsunade informed him. 

Sasuke turned, preparing to follow him. 

"Sasuke, he was with Gama Bunta," Jiraiya told him. "You'll never catch them." 

Sasuke rounded on them and Tsunade idly realized that even though the wooden mask's expression never changed, it was amazing how, when the wearer was angry, the fox face seemed somehow more menacing. 

"Why did you let him leave?" 

"I didn't want him to go either," she said. "But I can't force him to stay, especially now that we know Orochimaru cannot posses him. He wanted to go." 

Sasuke could feel his chest tightening as Naruto's departure really sunk in. He'd left again. He was gone. 

The consuming loneliness Sasuke had lived with all of his life, the loneliness that had slowly begun to abate with Naruto's sudden presence, suddenly hit him with a force that nearly took his breath away. 

There was a 'pop' and Sasuke looked at Tsunade's desk to see a large orange frog sitting comfortably on her paperwork. 

"Pop said to tell you that the kid's fine," he said to Jiraiya. 

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked, swiftly moving towards the desk. 

"I've been forbidden to say," the frog said, his mouth curling into an amphibian's version of a grin. 

Sasuke roughly pulled his mask off, sending a piercing glare at him. The frog seemed unaffected. 

"I'll talk to you later, pervert," he said with a wave. 

"You've been spending too much time with that brat, Gamakichi," Jiraiya muttered, fondly remembering a time when all the frogs (except for Gama Bunta) used to treat him with respect. 

"Wait!" Sasuke exclaimed as the frog prepared to go. He kneeled in front of Tsunade's desk so he was eye to eye with Gamakichi. 

The Sannin both stared at him, but he ignored them. 

"Can you at least take him a message?" Sasuke asked. 

Gamakichi studied him for a moment before nodding his consent. 

"Tell him I thought that Uzumaki Naruto never ran away. He's just a coward who talks big, but doesn't follow through." 

Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged glances. They had expected something more, well, sentimental, but this _was_ Sasuke after all. 

With a nod of understanding Gamakichi disappeared, leaving smoke hovering over Tsunade's desk. 

Sasuke stood, paying no attention to the Sannin and stalking towards the door. 

A 'pop' followed by "Yo, kid!" announced Gamakichi's return. 

Sasuke turned and Gamakichi continued. "He said, 'If protecting my friends means being a coward, I don't want to be brave.'" 

"Tell him that sneaking off while no one is here is not protecting us. It's running away from us so you don't have to face anyone." 

There was a 'pop' followed by a silence as the three ninja awaited Naruto's answer. 

A 'pop,' then, "No one will want me there anyway when the village finds out who I am." 

Sasuke was about to growl at the frog to tell Naruto to stop making stupid excuses when Tsunade spoke, surprising him, Jiraiya, and Gamakichi. "I want you here." 

There was a pause and Jiraiya added, "So do I." 

Gamakichi looked at Sasuke, as if asking whether or not he should deliver the messages. Sasuke raised his eyebrows and shrugged. The frog took this as a sign to go and disappeared. 

He returned a few minutes later. "He said, 'Thanks, Tsunade-baba, Ero-sennin, but could you give us a second?'" The frog looked pointedly at the door and Jiraiya took the hint, standing and walking around the desk to grab Tsunade by the arm. The blonde woman did not seem pleased about being forced to vacate her own office, and she was probably even less pleased that she would be missing the rest of the conversation. 

When they were gone and the door was shut Gamakichi gave Sasuke the rest of the message. "Sasuke, just forget about me, I need to stay isolated. Don't worry; I'm used to being alone." 

"So am I, and I'm tired of it!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Just tell me where you are. I hate it here by myself. We can be alone together." 

'Pop.' 

'Pop.' 

"That's an oxymoron, moron." 

"Shut up, dobe." 

'Pop.' 

'Pop.' 

"You shut up, asshole." 

"What a response," Sasuke said with a snort. "Get your ass back here so I can kick it." 

'Pop.' 

'Pop.' 

"If I recall you were the one unconscious with broken bones after our last fight." 

"I would have gone with you then if you had asked me to." 

'Pop.' 

Sasuke quickly sat down in Jiraiya's vacated chair, putting his head in his hands. 

Seconds turned into minutes and Sasuke began to fear that Naruto wasn't going to respond. 

'Pop.' 

Not looking up, Sasuke didn't notice Gamakichi smile at him. It was not the grin he'd been wearing earlier, more of a sad little smile. "He said, 'You don't see the danger you're trying to put yourself in. If you won't protect yourself from me, I'll have to do it for you. I'm sorry, Sasuke.'" Sasuke didn't move and Gamakichi continued. "Sorry kid, but he told me not to wait for a response." With that Gamakichi disappeared, leaving Sasuke slumped in the chair.

* * *

He'd only just said good bye to Gama Bunta and set off on his own five minutes before Gamakichi had appeared with Sasuke's message. It had been unexpected, to say the least, but fortunately, with Sasuke being so far away Naruto had been able to keep his wits about him. 

In person Sasuke might have been able to convince him to stay, or to let him come with him, but here he was safe. 

After sending Gamakichi off with a final message for Sasuke, Naruto began walking up the road, with no destination in mind except for 'Away from Konoha.' 

He was finally on his own again for the first time since he had traveled to Konoha. It was what he'd been wanting from the start. 

So why did he feel so miserable? 

Naruto ignored the feeling and veered to his left, disappearing into the forest that ran parallel to the road. The sun was setting and Naruto wanted to remain off of the main roads. He knew from years of experience of living on the road that after dark thieves and bandits prowled the roads for weary nighttime travelers to prey on. Normally it made no never mind since Naruto was perfectly capable of defending himself from common thieves, but Tsunade had warned him not to use his arm as much as possible until it healed. It was bandaged and pulled up in a sling that was draped loosely across his shoulder. It still throbbed painfully from the surgery and Naruto was more than happy to avoid any unnecessary fighting. 

As he walked through the forest the sun fully set, and the only dim light he had to walk by now came from the crescent moon. Long shadows of the trees stretched across his self made path as he picked his way around fallen logs and foliage. It was a cool night, an indication of the fall that was rapidly approaching. Naruto made a mental note to see about getting a jacket in the next town he visited. Short sleeves were fine for August, but even in the fire country winters could be brutal. 

Naruto had been traveling for a good while when the sounds of a battle reached his ears. It was some ways to his right, not in the direction he was heading at all. He paused in his walking, torn between checking it out or continuing on. He could barely use his arm, so seals and two handed fighting was out of the question. 

He had almost decided to ignore the battle when a familiar chakra presence caught his attention. Kyuubi obviously felt it too and Naruto grit his teeth, forcing the fox's sudden surge of chakra back. 

"Stop advertising our presence, baka," Naruto muttered to the fox. Chakra like that was bound to catch someone's attention, especially _him_. Naruto could feel the fox's sudden desire to go after him and even Naruto's curiosity was piqued. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to take a look."

* * *

Shikamaru had awoken with a start to the shouts of those on guard duty. 

"Ambush! We're under attack!" 

The Konoha ninja were awake and alert in moments, prepared to fight. Even most of the injured were ready, ignoring their pain. 

Kakashi and Sakura dropped from above him, landing in crouches and armed with kunai. The three remaining Anbu stood in various positions around the clearing, each masked and their katana unsheathed. 

When the attack came it was from all sides. It only took a glance at the slashed forehead protectors of their enemies to realize that Orochimaru wanted to finish off the small remainder of their force. 

The battle began and Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the extremely low odds they had of surviving. They were wounded, outnumbered, and surrounded, not to mention that three of their best shinobi were in Konoha. A Sannin, Anbu captain, and extremely powerful Kyuubi vessel would have definitely come in handy right at the moment. 

Sakura dodged the sword of her opponent and backed away to place some distance between them. Sakura was not a battle ninja. She was a medical ninja, and a damn good one at that. She was intelligent and had amazing chakra control, but these traits only went so far when a man was trying to skewer you with a katana. 

Leaping away from a swing of the sword that likely would have cleaved her in half; she pulled four shuriken from the pouch on her hip, tossing them at her attacker, who easily deflected the stars with his sword. He threw a kunai at her and in her haste to dodge she tripped, twisting her ankle painfully as she fell to the forest floor. 

Her attacker appeared before above her, dark eyes glimmering in unspoken victory. 

Sakura immediately began gathering her healing chakra. If he struck her someplace that wasn't instantly fatal she could possibly heal herself. Possibly. 

He raised the sword and brought it down at her. Her eyes widened in surprise as a figure came between her and the sword wielder, using a double edged kunai to deflect the sword. 

The attacker stumbled and backed away, taking in his new opponent. He was obviously one of the wounded, for his left arm hung uselessly in a sling. The sword user smirked. It was noble of this guy to protect the woman, but it was stupid of him to try and fight with only one arm. He would take care of this fool quickly. 

Raising his katana he flew towards the man, prepared to make the final blow to his unguarded left side. There was only so much a man could do with one arm and a kunai. Bringing the katana around in a powerful swing he could only stare in surprise when the man twisted slightly, crossing his right arm across his body and once again using the kunai to stop the blade's momentum. 

They stared at one another, locked in that position. The swordsman used the strength in both arms to try and force the edge of the blade into the other man while the other man managed to steadily hold the katana back with only his kunai. 

With only the tiniest flash of victory in his eyes, the sword user saw one of his comrades throw two kunai at his opponent's back. He increased the pressure of his sword on the kunai, keeping the man's attention on him. 

His dark eyes widened in surprise when the man sidestepped the kunai about to strike him and they flew by their original target, slamming into his chest. He fell to the ground, lifeless. 

Placing his kunai back into his pouch, Naruto turned to check on Sakura, who had used the opportunity to heal her ankle and was now gingerly standing. 

"You alright, Sakura-chan?" 

When she recognized him she could only gape in surprise. Naruto's hair remained covered, but his face was no longer masked and he stared at her with an expression of concern. 

She had had faith in Tsunade being able to heal him, but still—seeing him standing in front of her was surreal. She had lived for the past ten years with the understanding that he had died, it was as if she was in a dream. 

She snapped herself out of her daze. "I'm fine. How did you get back here?" 

Naruto shrugged with a grin that seemed so familiar, yet so out of place on his face. "Long story." 

Sakura eyed his bandaged arm. "Should you be fighting with your arm hurt?" she asked. 

"No," he answered, glancing around. His eyes settled on something he didn't particularly like the looks of. "Be careful, Sakura, I've got to go take care of this." And just like that he was gone.

* * *

The problem with Shikamaru's shadow jutsu was that using it in the middle a battle with many enemies left him wide open for other attacks. Unfortunately he'd had no choice in the matter. He had been identified as the leader, and twelve Akatsuki had decided to come at him at once. Shikamaru was the first one to admit he was not good at fighting sheer numbers. Naruto, now he was a man for numbers, so were Sasuke, Tenten, Lee, and many of the others. He, however, was much better with one on one combat, and if he couldn't do that he'd at least need time to think about a way to defeat a dozen men at once. Now, of course, he had the problem of holding twelve men in his jutsu while attempting to dodge any attacks from behind. Not to mention he still wasn't exactly sure what to do once the jutsu broke, which would be anytime now. 

A kunai was tossed at his back just as several shuriken came whizzing at him from his right and he realized dodging both attacks was not going to be an option. He sidestepped the kunai, and, had anyone had a chance to watch they would have seen the humor in the situation as the twelve men under his jutsu all moved to the side in unison, growling as their bodies refused to listen to them. 

He braced himself for the hit of the shuriken but only heard the dings of metal on metal as someone stood next to him, blocking each one with a kunai. 

"Don't think I'm letting you die and get off the hook for keeping secrets from me, Shikamaru," Ino said when the shuriken had all fallen to the ground. 

Shikamaru looked at her, smirking. "Are you talking to me now?" 

She raised an elegant eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Shikamaru's smile fell suddenly as he began to feel the familiar strain of holding his jutsu. "Hope you're ready to fight twelve unhappy guys," he said tightly. 

"You're kidding," Ino said, blonde ponytail flipping over her shoulder as she turned her head quickly to observe the men he was holding. Ino's strength at fighting large numbers was not much better than Shikamaru's since using her specialty jutsu left her even more defenseless than Shikamaru's. . 

"I wish," Shikamaru said as his shadow suddenly retracted back to him. 

The men remained still for a moment, surprised at their sudden ability to move. Then as realization came over them they grinned, moving towards the two and quickly surrounding them. Shikamaru and Ino stood back to back, both holding a double bladed kunai in each hand. 

The men rushed at them, several at a time. Shikamaru and Ino tried to remain back to back to avoid being split up but the men quickly managed to separate them, four continuing to attack Ino, while Shikamaru was surrounded by eight enemies of his own. 

Shikamaru didn't have the chakra left to try and use Kagemane no jutsu again, not when he needed to stop that many people. One of the several men managed to connect a punch to his face and he stumbled backwards into another one, a giant muscled man. Shikamaru's head barely came up to his chest. He grabbed Shikamaru's arms, twisting them behind him and forcing him to drop his kunai. He felt the air in his lungs leave him as one of his attackers used his incapacitation to throw a heavy punch to his stomach. 

When Shikamaru looked up again there was a man in front of him, a kunai raised. He struggled, but the grip on him only tightened and with his arms behind his back he couldn't do any seals. 

Ino had managed to kill one of the four men she was fighting, but the other three were relentlessly attacking. With a kick to the abdomen she managed to knock one of the men away from her for a moment, giving her a chance to check on Shikamaru. 

He was surrounded by at least eight men, a large one holding him steady as he struggled to break free. A shinobi stood in front of him, ready to stab him with a kunai. He was going to die, she realized in horror. He was going to die and she had wasted her last day with him being angry over something that he had had no control over. 

"Shikamaru!" she cried, but as she attempted to help him one of her attackers blocked her way and she was forced to block several jabs of his kunai. 

Shikamaru heard Ino's scream but was unable to see her through the circle of people around him. He struggled harder, but stopped as the man in front of him slashed down with his kunai, aiming for his heart. 

There was a grunt of pain and a lifeless body dropped to the ground. 

Shikamaru looked up in surprise to see Naruto had leapt above the circle of men, throwing a kunai into his would-be killer's back before landing in the center. Naruto sternly regarded the men around him. "Eight on one isn't exactly fair, now is it?" he said. 

The man holding onto Shikamaru spoke. "How about six on one then?" his deep voice asked, nodding to his comrades who began to close in on Naruto. Naruto pulled a kunai from the pouch on his hip, dropping into a fighting stance. 

The burly man laughed. "You're friend is rather foolish, no?" he asked Shikamaru. "Taking on six men with only one arm—he can't even use seals like that." 

Shikamaru didn't say anything but he had to agree. Although, after the conversation in Sasuke's kitchen he wasn't overly surprised at Naruto trying to take on more than he could handle. He just hoped he wouldn't be the witness to Naruto's actual death. 

The men came at Naruto quickly, and they were amazed at the speed he was able to use to dodge the continuous slashes they made with their weapons. When one of their number cried out and fell to the ground they paused in surprise, watching as Naruto swiftly pulled his kunai from the man's chest, ignoring the blood that splattered across his face. 

"Five to go," he said, flipping the kunai around in his hand for a better grip. 

"Cocky, aren't you?" one of the ninja's said. He had a slashed Hidden Mist hitai-ate tied loosely around his neck and a long scar ran down his cheek. 

"There's a difference between cocky and confident," Naruto said meeting his gaze. 

"And you should be neither in this situation," the mist ninja said, raising his hands to form a seal. Four water clones appeared next to him, upping the number of enemies from five to nine. 

This would have been no problem if he could use the Kage Bunshin no jutsu, however, that was slightly out of the question. They came at him again and Naruto found himself under a pile of men and clones. 

Kakashi could see that something was going on in the center of the clearing. He had heard Ino cry out to Shikamaru earlier and he could only hope that neither one of them was wounded or worse. He unfortunately had no way of getting to them to help. He was fighting five enemy shinobi who were all skilled at taijutsu, which was the one thing that the sharingan had trouble with. Wishing he could switch off with Gai, who would have a much easier time with this than he was, he managed to send a kunai with an exploding tag into a nearby tree where one of the shinobi he was fighting was lying in wait. He nearly groaned when two more ninjas took their comrade's place, actually raising the number of enemies he was fighting to six. 

Near him were Neji and Tenten in their Anbu gear and masks, easily slicing anyone who attempted to attack them. 

On the other side of the clearing Kiba had to leap out of the way as Chouji barreled by him. The other man was nearly double his normal size and was rolling so quickly the next thing he came into contact with was going to be flattened. 

Akamaru barked at the rolling man. "Watch where you're going Chouji!" Kiba hollered. 

"Sorry, Kiba!" was the response. 

Chouji had managed to take out his two opponents, Kiba realized, and using the momentary break he bent down to rub his still sore thigh, which had begun to painfully throb with all the exertion. Akamaru whined at him, knowing he was hurt. 

Kiba was about to pet him in reassurance when a handful of shuriken came flying at his head. He ducked and rolled away, struggling to his feet as the throwing stars imbedded themselves into the tree that had been behind him. 

Akamaru was at his side in an instant. 

Kiba took stock of his opponent. He had only just thrown the shuriken and he had three more between the fingers of his right hand, and two kunai in his left. Noticing all the weapons pouches the man had along his pant legs, Kiba realized that this was a man who favored taijutsu and weapons, just the type of person Kiba didn't really have the ability to deal with at the moment. His leg throbbed again, reminding him of his hindered speed. 

With a grin the weapons user threw the shuriken at him, then let the kunai fly at Akamaru, who was too busy watching the shuriken to even notice. 

"Akamaru!" Kiba said, scooping up the dog and placing his back to the kunai. There was no way he could dodge them, his leg was nearly ready to give out on him completely. 

When no hit came he turned, only to see Hinata standing between him and the weapons user, having caught the two kunai. 

"Are you okay, Kiba-kun?" she asked softly, her pale eyes narrowed at the weapons user. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, looking beyond her to the man who had attacked Akamaru. Now he was pissed. Setting the dog down, he took a limping step to stand next to Hinata. 

The weapons user just grinned, reaching into the pouches and pulling out several kunai, shuriken, and a few long daggers. "You can only dodge so much," he said. 

"Unless nothing gets thrown," a low voice said from behind him. 

He turned his head quickly to see a man standing behind him, a long white coat covered by a jounin vest and his hands stuffed into his pockets. The weapons user snorted as he took in his sunglasses covered eyes. It was almost midnight; the man probably could barely see anything at all. He raised a two kunai to finish this man off first when he noticed in the moonlight that several black dots were moving along his weapons. Then suddenly there were more, crawling out from underneath his sleeves. 

"What is this?" he yelled, trying to flick off what he now realized were small black bugs. 

"It's not worth it to explain," Shino said, walking past him as more bugs appeared on him and walking over to Kiba and Hinata. His two former teammates were used to seeing this kind of thing and ignored the man as he screamed and frantically tried to remove the growing number of bugs, running off into the forest. 

"Shino," Kiba growled. "I was going to kill him." 

"Not on that leg," Shino said impassively. 

Kiba was ready to angrily respond, Shino was ready to quietly ignore him, and Hinata was ready to shyly try and interject, a scene the three had played out many times over the years, but a loud yell of "Gai-sensei!" got all of their attention. 

Gai and Lee were taking on nearly twenty men, and the three shinobi were about to go help when they realized neither man needed it. The yell they had heard was actually Lee calling out in awe, tears of joy streaming down his face as Gai twisted and kicked three men several feet into the air, all the while laughing his booming laugh. 

"See Lee-kun!" he said loudly. "You do not have to be young to have great strength!" 

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cried, knocking two men out with fists over his shoulders, not bothering to turn and look at his opponents. "You are truly the greatest shinobi in Konoha! Even though you are so old!" 

"Lee-kun! I am glad you think so!" 

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata exchanged glances as the two green clad men continued sending their opponents flying away. 

"I know I can be loud, but at least I'm not a moron," Kiba said, shaking his head. 

"Who lied and told you that?" Shino asked, turning to go back to battle. 

"You son of a—" 

"Kiba-kun, please calm down!" 

And everything was normal with the former Team Eight. 

When Shikamaru saw Naruto disappear under the large group of men he tried again to get away from the man who held him, but the grip on his wrists only tightened and he realized that if he moved any further he was going to break his wrist. 

Naruto felt himself hit the ground, painfully landing on his left side. White hot pain shot up his already wounded arm at the contact. He rolled to his back as a kunai slashed towards his head, landing in the dirt next to him. This was no way to fight. Ignoring the pain in his left arm he clenched the fist on his right, feeling the familiar tingle of chakra beginning. He hadn't planned to use this technique on a bunch of ninjas that normally wouldn't be worth his time, but he now had no choice. This was the only technique that he could do with no seals and one hand, even if it had taken him years of practice to get it that way. 

The ninjas on top of him looked down in confusion as a blue light began to fill their vision. All they heard before they were blasted away was "Rasengan!" They were dead before they made contact with the ground. 

Shikamaru, his captor, and anyone in the area stared at Naruto in shock as he struggled to his feet, his right hand smoking. When the ninja's of Konoha quickly returned their attention to their battles, their opponents were gone. They all looked around in confusion, tightly holding their weapons, prepared for a trap. 

A sharp breeze had begun to blow. 

Kakashi knelt down by where his two opponents had last stood, tracing his fingers through the sand on the ground. 

Naruto ignored the sudden disappearance of enemies. His narrowed blue eyes met the wide eyed gaze of the man who had Shikamaru. 

"Going to let him go now?" he asked. 

The burly man snorted, twisting Shikamaru's arm so sharply that the brown haired man grimaced in pain and fell to his knees to reduce some of the pressure that was on it. With one swift movement the man had pulled out a kunai and had it pressed against Shikamaru's exposed neck. 

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried, now free to see what was going on since the remaining two men she was fighting had disappeared. 

"Come near me and I'll kill him," the man said, pushing the dagger closer to Shikamaru's throat to prove he was serious. 

"You're surrounded," Naruto said. "How far do you think you'll get if you kill our leader and comrade?" 

"My allies will keep you all busy," he said. 

"What allies?" Naruto asked, gesturing around the clearing, which held only Konoha ninjas and dead bodies. 

"Wh-where did they go?" he stuttered, beginning to panic. 

"Looks like they deserted you," Naruto said with a malicious grin. Those who could see his face shivered. That was not the type of expression they had ever seen on Naruto when he was a boy. 

"Well," the man said with sudden grim determination. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to take as much of you Konoha bastards with me as I can." 

"No!" Ino, Chouji, and several others from the rookie nine called, all of them moving forward in a futile attempt to stop him from slashing Shikamaru's throat. 

"What?" the man said in shock, trying to move his arm, but finding himself unable. Looking down he saw what looked like sand wrapped around his entire arm, not allowing him to move. The sand flowed far off into the woods, its end not visible to those who stood in the clearing. It began to pull his arm, slowly moving the kunai away from Shikamaru's neck. Then it suddenly jerked the man with a quick movement, picking him up into the air and dangling him there by his arm. The Konoha ninjas watched in amazement as the sand then pulled him into the forest. There was a scream, then nothing. 

Ino ran to Shikamaru, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. The pony tailed man blinked at her in confusion before slowly hugging her back. Several of the friends exchanged grins at the scene and began to slowly move towards the center of the clearing. 

Naruto remained where he was, only moving once, holding his uninjured arm in the air in a silent warning for everyone to stay where they were. They all listened, standing still. 

"Uzumaki Naruto," a low voice called out from the deep shadows of the forest where the sand had taken the man. 

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows, coming into full view of those in the clearing. 

They looked towards the trees and those who had taken the chuunin exam together immediately recognized the speaker. They remained where they were, although nothing but grim determination kept Sakura from backing away a few steps. She had seen only half of what this man could do when he was twelve and the thought of him growing more powerful made her stomach flip. Shikamaru and those in from the former Team Eight also felt a growing dread inside them, having had the misfortune of seeing the man in action once before. 

A short man stood across from Naruto, his arms crossed over his chest. Ninja garb hung loosely on his gangly body and on his back was a large tan gourd, the cap obviously not on it as sand poured gently from its opening. 

Dark shadows surrounded his light blue eyes and his blood red hair stood out in stark contrast to his pale skin. On his forehead was the symbol for love in a deep red color that matched his hair. 

"Gaara of the Sand," Naruto returned calmly. 

Two figures stood behind Gaara, nearly hidden by the shadows but Naruto didn't need to see them to know who they were. "Temari," Naruto said with a nod to the figure on Gaara's right, "Kankurou," to the left. 

The Konoha ninjas remained still. The sand siblings were allies of Konoha, however, they were also very dangerous, Gaara in particular. All of the rookie nine, several jounin, including Kakashi and Gai, and Gai's former team had heard about Naruto's fight with Gaara. No one but Sasuke and Kakashi knew the details of what had happened; all they knew was that somehow Naruto had defeated Gaara. 

From the scowl on his face it seemed that Gaara still held a small grudge. 

The Konoha ninjas watched in muted horror as the red haired man stretched out an arm. 

Sand that was previously lying unnoticed on the ground leapt up at his command, taking the shape of a hand. With an unspoken command the sand rushed at Naruto, who didn't move from his position. 

"He's going to get killed!" Kiba said and Hinata's hands flew to her mouth. They knew what would happen if the hand wrapped around Naruto. The next thing they would see of him would be goo all over the forest. 

Naruto didn't even blink as the hand of sand rushed by him at a speed that rustled his clothing. It flew to a tree behind Naruto where an Akatsuki ninja was hiding, poised to throw a kunai at Naruto's back. 

Gaara closed his hand into a fist and the Konoha ninjas flinched at the strangled cry and sound of crushing bones. Gaara's arm then returned to cross casually over his chest as the sand began slowly creeping back into his gourd. 

"What do I always tell you about watching your back, Naruto?" Gaara said. Most of the people in the clearing watched wide eyed as the red haired man allowed a tiny smirk to cross his features. 

Naruto grinned. "What's the point when you can do it for me with so little effort?" 

Naruto broke eye contact with the other man, glancing down at his arm for the first time since he'd started fighting. It was bleeding profusely; a red stain was slowly getting larger on the sling making it obvious that he was hurt. The wound had reopened when he'd been slammed to the ground and sharp pain was now shooting up his arm. 

He had refused to let Kyuubi even give him chakra in this fight because he knew that the presence of Shukaku drove the fox insane. Even now he could feel him struggling to take control, if only long enough to get near Shukaku's carrier. Naruto knew for a fact that Gaara was feeling the same pull within him. 

The demons were attracted to each other's immense power. They could feel the other's presence even when they were far away, which was how Gaara had known Naruto had not died. He had run into the sand siblings several times throughout the ten years he'd spent wandering. Temari and Kankurou enjoyed his presence. He was like a little brother they could tease without worrying about being killed for it. And although it was only the slightest difference, barely even noticeable except to his siblings, Gaara became protective of him. He understood what it was like to have something inside you constantly trying to get free. They had a strange connection. 

Naruto had stayed with them for a few months, not long after he'd left Konoha. It was when Naruto and Gaara realized that the demons were beginning to try harder to break free of their human prison that Naruto had decided to go. 

The feel of the other's power so close began to make both demons crazy. They wanted out and they wanted the other's power to add to their own and they took every opportunity to try for it. 

Gaara and Naruto knew they had to distance themselves, so Naruto had left. Whenever they ran into one another the demons acted up, so they kept meetings as brief as possible. 

Naruto began to feel drained as he struggled with Kyuubi. Naruto had used a good bit of chakra during the fight and as he kept Kyuubi back he found that remaining standing was no longer an option. 

His knees buckled and he would have fallen ungracefully on his ass if a chair of sand hadn't suddenly appeared under him. Naruto looked at Gaara, who was watching him impassively. 

Realizing that there was no threat of a bloody battle between Naruto and Gaara, the Konoha ninjas began to relax. 

After Ino had removed herself from his neck, blushing in embarrassment, Shikamaru began to take a mental tally of their losses. More of them were injured, but somehow they were all still alive. He doubted the outcome would have been the same if Naruto and the sand siblings hadn't shown up. He knew for certain that he'd have been dead anyway. 

But what were they doing here? Especially Naruto, he had just gone to Konoha the day before. The medical nins quickly went to work, moving through the clearing and giving help to those who needed it. 

Gaara made his way to the center of the clearing, nodding to Naruto in greeting. Temari and Kankurou followed him and when Shikamaru saw the bits of blood on their clothing he began to get an inkling of where their enemies had suddenly disappeared to. 

Several of Naruto's friends watched in complete surprise as Gaara stood next to Naruto, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as the other man sat tiredly in the sand chair. It looked as though the normally frightening and emotionless Gaara was actually trying to comfort Naruto. 

Onlookers didn't realize that the close proximity managed to calm the two demons and Naruto was able to relax slightly as Kyuubi became a bit more content to feel power that close and gave up on his frantic struggle for the moment. 

Shikamaru ignored his surprise and began walking towards them, Ino hot on his heels. It seemed she had no plans to let him out of her sight any time in the near future. He didn't particularly mind, for she was quiet and allowed him to think. He needed to figure out what was going on. The sand ninjas were not scheduled to be anywhere near Konoha as far as he knew and Naruto's presence was especially surprising, more so because he was without Sasuke or Jiraiya. 

Sakura followed Shikamaru. She could see that Naruto had once again hurt his arm and she needed to ensure he hadn't done any further damage. 

Kakashi trailed behind the three younger ninjas, hoping to get some answers for once. Also, the silver haired jounin simply did not trust Gaara; especially not after Pakkun had explained the fight Naruto had had with him in detail. 

When the four ninja neared the group around Naruto they could hear him complaining. "Could you have waited any longer to join the fight?" he asked, looking up at Gaara, who was staring impassively at the tree above the other man's head. "I know you were there." 

"We were doing little things here and there," Kankurou said with a shrug. 

"Well, isn't that nice," Naruto muttered. "I'm getting dog piled by nine guys and you three were 'doing little things here and there.'" 

"Oh stop complaining, you get more immature every time we see you. Besides four of those 'guys' were clones," Temari said, leaning lazily on her tall metal fan. 

Naruto humph'd and looked away from her with a pout, but Shikamaru noticed the small upward tilt of his lips and the little smile on the fan users face. 

They acted so familiar, Shikamaru realized. As if they were friends. Now that he thought about it, none of them seemed surprised to see him alive. Had they known? 

"What are you doing here?" they heard Naruto ask. "Last time I saw you was near your village." 

"Gaara felt your most recent—'battle' and we decided to see if you had died," Temari said with an air of teasing. "Looks like we got our hopes up for nothing." 

Naruto snorted. "Sorry to disappoint you." 

Kankurou shrugged. "There's always next time." 

Naruto shook his head good naturedly. Gaara turned his head to watch Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, and Kakashi approach. 

"Gaara of the Sand," Shikamaru said nodding to him and then his two siblings. "Temari, Kankurou." 

Sakura moved over to Naruto's left side, leaning down to get a good look at his arm. She was surprised when another chair of sand appeared next to Naruto's, giving her a way to sit levelly with him. She looked up at Gaara wide eyed, but the man hadn't removed his gaze from Shikamaru or Kakashi. She also noticed he hadn't relinquished his grip on Naruto's right shoulder either. 

"Go ahead," Naruto said, inclining his head towards the seat. He had noticed her hesitancy. "It's just like a chair." 

Sakura sat down tentatively then carefully removed his arm from the sling and began to unwrap his bandages. Naruto turned his attention to the conversation next to him. 

"Tsunade-sama would like to thank you I'm sure," Shikamaru was saying. 

Kankurou spoke up. "Sorry, Konoha isn't on our way." 

Shikamaru sighed. "I don't want to beg but you saw what almost happened here tonight. Many of us are injured and the rest of us have been up all night. If we are attacked again there is no way we'll be able to survive. We could really use your protection." 

Kankurou and Temari exchanged glances before turning back to look at Gaara. When it came down to it he was the one who called the shots. They would do what he said. Especially in this situation. He knew the danger of keeping Kyuubi and Sukaku close for too long. 

"It's only half a day's walk from here," Shikamaru said. "Please." 

Sakura called Naruto's attention to her. "You need to go back to Tsunade," she said quietly. "I honestly can't believe she let you leave so quickly. The wound has reopened and it appears that the contact with the ground has re-fractured the bone. This rapid blood loss leads me to believe the bone may have punctured an artery." 

"Can't you just heal it?" Naruto asked. He couldn't go back to Konoha now. 

"No, Naruto, this isn't the type of wound that can just be healed with chakra. It might need surgery again." 

"And if I don't get treatment?" 

"You could loose your arm," she told him seriously. 

Naruto managed to remain impassive as Gaara's hand on his shoulder tightened painfully. 

"We will go to Konoha," the red haired man said. He was looking at his siblings, but Naruto knew that he included in that order.

* * *

A/N: I didn't plan on having the sand siblings in this at all and then they decided that if they weren't invited they were going to crash. Ah, well. 

And to the several of you who have informed me of their love, I love you too, in a purely platonic never met you kind of way. Thanks for reviewing! 


	10. Of Control

Naruto could feel the eyes on his back as he walked. He and Gaara walked at the very front of the group, as close as possible to one another to keep the demons relaxed. Fortunately, having Gaara at his side also kept the others from confronting him with the questions he knew they all had, particularly Kakashi and Sakura. 

Temari and Kankurou were at the back of the group, ready to go if any attacks came from behind.

"You don't want to go back?" Gaara asked suddenly, surprising Naruto.

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to leave again," Naruto told him.

"They won't let you?" Gaara asked.

"I don't know," Naruto answered, wondering what Sasuke would do when he discovered he was back.

"Then I will stay and make sure they do not stop you," Gaara said.

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Gaara, you don't have to do that."

Gaara didn't answer.

The gates of Konoha eventually came into view and the ninjas in the group never felt so happy to see their small village. Several Anbu came out to meet them, already expecting their arrival. Medical nins also came out, instantly helping the injured to the hospital.

Temari and Kankurou moved to the front of the group, Temari taking the position next to Naruto while Kankurou stood next to Gaara.

"Ninjas of the Sand," one of the Anbu said in surprise. "We were not informed that you were to visit." He turned to one of his masked comrades. "Go find the captain," he said.

Naruto closed his eyes. He knew there would be no way to avoid Sasuke, but he didn't want to see him as he stood flanked by the sand siblings, covered in blood that was mostly his own, trying to ignore the fox, who desperately wanted to take over now that he had a friend.

"That won't be necessary," Shikamaru said, stepping forward. "They helped us when we were ambushed and I asked them to accompany us here in case we were attacked again."

The Anbu nodded and Naruto relaxed when he saw that no one was going to get Sasuke.

Sakura walked up to them. "Naruto, you should get to Tsunade-sama," she said, noticing that blood had begun to seep through the clean bandages she had wrapped around his arm a few hours before.

Naruto nodded and headed towards the village. Everyone watched as Gaara followed, not removing himself from his side. Temari and Kankurou exchanged glances. They had thought they were going to leave once they made it to Konoha. They trailed after Naruto and their brother, wondering what had changed.

* * *

Sasuke knew someone was behind him, but he didn't turn. He was too focused on venting his frustration on the tree in front of him. Bits of bark went flying as his leg continuously kicked at the trunk, and his knuckles were bleeding from punching the rough surface of the tree. 

It wasn't enough, Sasuke realized. He wanted to break the tree; to hear it splinter and crack as it fell over.

Gripping his left wrist with his right hand he summoned up a massive amount of chakra to his palm. He rushed at the tree, shoving his fist through it and watching with a self-satisfied smirk as it leaned precariously before finally falling with a loud crash.

And yet, as he stood panting over the broken tree, he didn't feel any better.

Finally the man behind him spoke.

"Sasuke, I know trees tend to be difficult and tricky opponents, but I'm not sure you needed to use Chidori on it," Kakashi said, peering at the younger man over the latest edition of Come Come Paradise.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he turned to look at him.

"You didn't come greet us when we got back," Kakashi said.

"I've been training."

Kakashi grew serious and closed his book, placing it in his pocket.

"What happened during the battle the other day?" he asked. "Kyuubi surfaced. Why?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said, wanting anything but to talk about Naruto.

"Does it have something to do with why Naruto pretended to be dead?" Kakashi persisted.

"I don't _know_," Sasuke said, beginning to get angry. He wasn't talking about this. He spent the last three hours training and destroying trees on the training grounds so he wouldn't think about Naruto leaving, he didn't need Kakashi bringing him up again. He pushed past his old sensei and began to head home. "Ask Naruto if you want to know," Sasuke sneered, knowing full well that Kakashi wouldn't be able to.

Sasuke nearly tripped over his own feet at Kakashi's next words. "I would, but between Tsunade and Gaara he's never alone."

Sasuke turned around so fast that Kakashi had to wonder if he'd given himself whiplash. "What?"

"As soon as we got back Tsunade ushered him into surgery, and Gaara has been in his room ever since."

"He's here?" Sasuke said.

"Yeah, it's weird though. Naruto seems to really trust him, but they almost killed each other when they were twelve," Kakashi said.

Sasuke blinked in confusion before he understood what Kakashi was talking about. "No, not Gaara. Naruto. Naruto is in Konoha?"

It was Kakashi's turn to look confused. "Yes. He came back with us earlier."

Sasuke didn't even say goodbye, turning and taking off towards the hospital.

When Sasuke reached the hospital he quickly found Naruto's room number. He purposely strode down the white hallway, not really sure what he would say when he got there.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't hear the voice say his name. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Standing across the hall from Naruto's door were Temari and Kankurou, the latter of which had called out to him. Kankurou was leaning against the wall with his arms folded; the white sack-like object that he normally carried on his back was propped up next to him. Temari's tall metal fan was next to her and she was leaning comfortably on it.

They were glaring at him, and he stared back evenly.

"I'm surprised you're here," Temari said.

"Why is that?" Sasuke asked, not really in the mood for this, but humoring them.

"Well, we heard you tried to kill Naruto a couple of times. Why bother checking on his welfare now?"

Sasuke was surprised but his stoic face did not show it. How would they know about that? Only he and Naruto knew exactly what had happened at the Valley of the End. Kakashi had told him that Naruto had not told anyone when he had been brought back to Konoha, and Sasuke certainly hadn't spoken of it.

Kakashi had said something about Naruto trusting Gaara. Had Naruto told them?

"Why is that any of your business?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto is important to us," Kankurou said. "We saw him through some of his worst times."

Sasuke's face did show some of his surprise then. When had this happened? What were some of Naruto's worst times? He knew more about Naruto than anyone in Konoha and still he felt as though he knew nothing about the other man at all. But these _strangers_ knew so much.

Naruto had gone to them for help?

"If you try to hurt him again, though, you won't have to deal with us," Temari said. "However, Gaara won't be very forgiving."

"If I recall," Sasuke said, fists clenching. "Gaara, tried to kill Naruto himself."

Anger was rising in him. Anger at them for implying he'd hurt Naruto again. Anger at Gaara for even wanting to protect Naruto. Anger at Naruto for going to the Sand siblings instead of him. But most of all, anger at himself for being the cause for it. He had betrayed Naruto and tried to kill him. How could he expect the other man to trust him after that?

"Yes," Kankurou agreed. "But Gaara wasn't his friend at the time, was he?"

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. He turned and knocked on Naruto's door, waiting for the muffled "Come in" before he entered.

Naruto was sitting up in the hospital bed, a pillow behind his back and his bandana'd head leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed, but when Sasuke entered and gently closed the door they opened, brilliant blue orbs looking at him.

"Sasuke," Naruto said with a small smile.

"Naruto—" Sasuke moved forward, but stopped when he noticed Gaara sitting on the other side of Naruto's bed, watching him unblinkingly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw Gaara's hand resting lightly on Naruto's uninjured arm.

Of course Sasuke had no way of knowing that the hand was there to pacify the beasts inside of the two men. The demons reveled in the other's powers and direct contact at least stopped them from attempting to take over.

Both blue-eyed men were watching him, but there was coldness in Gaara's eyes that Naruto's had never had. Sasuke finally got his voice back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, ignoring Gaara, whose gaze hadn't left him.

"Yeah," Naruto responded. "Tsunade-baba used chakra to heal the bone after the surgery this time so if I get into a battle again, hopefully the worst that can happen is I may tear open the stitches."

"How long are you staying?"

"Until Tsunade tells me I can leave," Naruto said, not meeting his eyes.

Sasuke had a lot he wanted to say, and all of it he wanted to say in private. Glancing at Gaara, who was still watching him, Sasuke realized that the red haired man had no intention of leaving.

Sasuke stood for a long moment staring at Naruto, who stared back. And since Gaara didn't seem to need to blink, he was staring as well.

Naruto finally broke the silence. "Gaara, can you give us a minute?" he said. Only then did Gaara's gaze shift from Sasuke to Naruto, and after observing him for a moment, he silently stood, going to the door and leaving.

Naruto paled slightly as Kyuubi began to struggle. He'll be right back, bastard fox, he said silently, hoping the demon would calm down. To his surprise Kyuubi listened, and began restlessly pacing instead of attempting to take over. It was a useless struggle when Naruto was awake anyway. At least for the time being. Once the seal was weakened, Kyuubi had a chance.

Sasuke moved closer to Naruto's bedside. "I didn't realize you and Gaara were so close," he finally said, not quite masking the harsh edge to his voice.

"Yeah, well, we have a lot in common," Naruto said with a shrug.

"Don't compare yourself to him," Sasuke said. "He has a lust for blood that you'll never have."

"Don't judge him, Sasuke," Naruto said, becoming serious. "He's been betrayed too many times in his life to not be bitter, but he's also not the same person that we met as kids. Besides, I feel the blood lust in me just as he does. I almost _killed_ you two days ago, or did you forget?"

"That wasn't your fault," Sasuke told him with a shake of his head.

"It's not my fault, but it's my responsibility. I'm putting everyone in danger here."

"You are the reason we even survived that battle. Without you using Kage Bunshin we would have probably died," Sasuke said, moving over and sitting on the side of Naruto's bed.

"Great. I save everyone, then celebrate by eating them all," Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"You didn't eat anyone. You got back control."

"No. That's the whole point right there, Sasuke. I've never _had_ control. Not one aspect of my life has ever been under control. I didn't have control over having this parasite put in me, I didn't have control of the villagers hating me for it, I didn't have control of you betraying us all, I didn't have control of having to leave Konoha, and I _don't_ have control of Kyuubi."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that, sadly noting that Naruto had mentioned his betrayal.

"I'm spiraling out of control, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I won't let you involve yourself in this."

"It's too late, I'm already involved," Sasuke said. "I've been involved since we became teammates."

"I don't understand you. You hated me when we were teammates. What's changed?"

"Nothing's changed. I've never hated you," Sasuke said. "Your attitude just annoyed me. I mean, no one in the village liked you, you were the dobe of our class, you lived all alone, and yet you were the happiest person I had ever seen. I didn't know what to make of it. You had so many reasons to be sad, but you never were."

"Sure I was, but to show it would be showing weakness. We all had something to hide behind, Sasuke. I had my obnoxious personality, you had your mysterious silent act, Sakura had her crush on you, and Kakashi had his books." Naruto paused, then continued. "Besides you miss out on life if you dwell on the sad things," he said, looking pointedly at Sasuke, who understood he was speaking of himself.

There was a knock at the door and Tsunade came in, pausing as she saw Naruto and Sasuke staring intently at one another. "Sorry, Sasuke," she said. "I need to check on Naruto. You'll need to go."

When Sasuke exited Naruto's room he wasn't sure if he was feeling better or worse and Naruto had made no promises to stay in Konoha.

He walked by all three sand siblings, who silently followed him with their eyes until he was out of sight.

* * *

The next afternoon Sasuke and Shikamaru were summoned to Tsunade's office to give her an account of their mission in full detail. 

"Naruto lost control of Kyuubi?" Tsunade said, her face grim.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes. I don't know why it happened at that particular time—"

"He fell asleep," Sasuke interrupted. He wouldn't have them thinking that Naruto lost control at random. They both turned to look at him. He was standing in the corner of her office with his arms folded over his chest. His fox mask hung from his hip. "The snake venom knocked him out."

Tsunade looked thoughtful. "Well, if that's the case why doesn't Kyuubi try to take over whenever Naruto sleeps?"

"It does," Sasuke told her, his expression stony. "Naruto hasn't actually slept since he was a teenager."

There was a stunned silence as Tsunade and Shikamaru let his words sink in.

There was a loud knock on the office door and Tsunade had barely begun to say, "Come in," when the door opened and Kakashi walked through.

Tsunade sighed at the sight of him. "Kakashi, I already told you I can't answer your questions, there are things that not even I know the answer to."

Sasuke smirked slightly.

"Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but that is not when I'm here," Kakashi said. "Naruto and Gaara are about to spar."

"What?" Tsunade and Sasuke asked in unison.

"I thought you should know, since their last fight ended in the destruction of a quarter of the forest," Kakashi said.

"Yes, Kakashi, thank you," she said, rising and striding quickly to the door.

Sasuke and Shikamaru were right behind her.

* * *

"Rules?" Gaara's monotone voice asked. He stood about ten feet away from Naruto in an otherwise empty training field. Temari and Kankurou were off to the side, making sure to leave plenty of room to get out of the younger men's way. If there was one thing they had learned over the years it was that Naruto and Gaara's spars often covered a _lot_ of ground. 

Naruto tightened the hitai-ate around his hair, appearing thoughtful. "No killing one another."

Gaara actually made the effort to roll his eyes. "I think that's a given," he said.

"Well with you you never know," Naruto said with a grin. "I like to establish the no death rule upfront."

Temari stifled a laugh and Kankurou smiled. Naruto was the only one who could insult Gaara without being introduced to Gaara's Desert Graveyard technique. He was also the only person Gaara deemed worthy enough to spar with.

The gourd on Gaara's back was suddenly lidless and sand began to pour from it as gently as sand in an hourglass. The sand trickled to a stop and Naruto waited for Gaara to make a move.

The red haired man, however, was perfectly willing to wait as well.

After a few minutes Naruto sighed. Gaara knew that patience had never been one of his strong points.

"To hell with it," Naruto mumbled, raising his hands in front of him and performing familiar seals. He smiled. Kyuubi had managed to heal up his arm to the point that he only felt a small discomfort now, nothing compared to the sharp pains of before. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

There was a cloud of smoke and five Naruto's now stood before Gaara. Gaara knew that Naruto had some sort of plan, otherwise he would have summoned a lot more clones and run at him, though they had sparred enough that Naruto knew that that approach never worked.

Naruto fingered the kunai and shuriken in his pouches on his waist. They usually served to distract an opponent or throw them off guard, but what was the point when sand moved to protect Gaara without the other man even having to think about it? His finger brushed across a scroll and his eyebrows rose.

Sakura and Lee had been coming to train when they saw five Naruto's and Gaara facing off. They worriedly wondered if it was an actual fight until they saw Temari and Kankurou calmly watching from the sidelines.

"Are they sparring?" Sakura asked, when they reached the two siblings.

"Yeah," Temari said, watching Naruto and wondering what kind of plan he was developing.

"Oh!" Lee said excitedly. "Think they'll care if we watch?"

Temari shrugged. She and Kankurou heard a few more people approaching them quickly, but neither turned to see who it was. Averting your eyes during one of these spars could mean missing a key move.

Naruto and Gaara's matches were more like chess games than spars. Naruto of course had to do most of the thinking and it was always interesting to see what he came up with to try and get past Gaara's defense. His speed was sometimes enough, if he was able to come up with a good enough distraction. They also had to pay close attention because sometimes simply watching them proved to be dangerous since both men tended to use their more dangerous and deadly moves on one another.

"What is going on here?" they heard the Hokage demand when she drew even with them.

"Naruto and Gaara are sparring," Lee said in excitement, his own plans for training completely forgotten.

Kankurou chanced a glance at the Hokage, noting that the shadow user, the silver haired copy ninja, and the Uchiha were with her.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Tsunade said, stepping forward to intervene before things got out of hand.

"I wouldn't, Hokage-sama," Temari said. "Naruto's about to make a move and when Gaara gets started—well, it's best to let them finish."

"Don't worry," Kankurou said. "They already established the no killing rule."

Six pairs of astonished eyes turned towards the siblings, who were watching the younger men intently.

Sasuke made to move forward, not planning on watching Naruto get hurt again, but one of the Naruto's suddenly pulled a scroll from the pouch around his waist. Biting his thumb, he opened the scroll, smearing blood along the length of it before closing it once more.

With the scroll still in his hands he began performing a series of seals and Kakashi recognized the technique.

"Summoning no jutsu!" Naruto said, slamming the scroll into the ground.

A huge cloud of smoke blocked all visibility. When the smoke began to clear everyone watching stared in bewilderment at the whiskered man, who was standing with his hands on his hips looking distinctly proud of himself.

They had been expecting something impressive, a large frog or maybe even Gama Bunta. They had not expected to see hundreds of frogs the size of Gamakichi hopping all over the clearing asking one another whether or not there were snacks.

"He's still a moron," Sakura said in amazement. Lee nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Gaara, however, was still watching him intently, treating him as no less of a threat.

"Hope they can run, Naruto," he said, then finally made a move.

Sand that had poured from the gourd earlier rose into the air, splitting into small balls that were then hardened by Gaara's chakra. The balls of sand began to rain down upon the small frogs like hail.

"Of course they can run. They're cowards," Naruto said as the frogs began shrieking in high pitched voices and hopping all over the training field, trying to avoid the sand. The frogs that were hit would yell, "Ow!" before disappearing with a pop.

All in all the battle had turned to chaos, which seemed very fitting when dealing with Naruto.

"Where are you?" Gaara asked, calmly watching as more frogs began to disappear.

Sasuke, Kakashi, Shikamaru and the sand siblings had been wondering the same thing. Sakura and Lee were confused at the question, but Tsunade realized what Gaara was asking and wondered how she had missed it before. There had been four clones of Naruto before he had summoned the frogs, but afterwards he was standing among the hundreds of frogs alone.

Suddenly one of the frogs to Gaara's right turned into Naruto, who said, "Right here!" before tossing two kunai at him. One flew at Gaara and was blocked by his sand; the other flew off target and landed uselessly behind the sand ninja. with a flick of Gaara's wrist, sand flew into the attacking Naruto, who disappeared upon impact.

"One," Gaara said.

"Kage Bunshin and Henge," Lee said in amazement.

The sand hail hadn't stopped and the frogs were still squealing as they hopped around.

There was a pop and another frog became Naruto, who immediately tossed two kunai at Gaara's left side. These two both made contact with the sand shield but had no effect on Gaara, who sent sand crashing into this Naruto, turning him into nothing but a cloud of smoke.

"Two," Gaara said.

With a loud cry another Naruto appeared in place of a frog, tossing several shuriken at Gaara only to watch them bounce harmlessly off the sand. A fist of sand dispatched that clone quickly as well.

"Three."

Shikamaru shook his head. "He's fought Gaara before," he said to Sasuke. "He knows weapons won't get past Gaara's sand. He's wasting his time."

Kakashi nodded and Sasuke didn't say anything.

They expected Gaara to wait for the fourth clone to emerge and were surprised when he suddenly stretched out his arm. All of them except for Tsunade understood what this motion meant and watched as Naruto, who had been standing calmly across the clearing, saw the sand fly towards him with wide eyes. He attempted to get away, but sand he hadn't noticed on the ground grabbed his ankles and held him still.

The hand of sand wrapped completely around the struggling Naruto until they couldn't see him anymore. They watched to see if Naruto would find a way out of his prison but after a few moments of silence they assumed the spar had been won by Gaara.

Tsunade gasped, Sakura stifled a scream, and the others froze in shock when Gaara closed his fist, causing the sand to crush Naruto.

Only Temari and Kankurou seemed unfazed.

Shikamaru was the first to notice that the blood that always seemed to accompany Gaara's Desert Graveyard was not present.

There was a pop and smoke slid gently out from between the sand.

"Four," Gaara said, dropping his arm and returning his attention to the several remaining frogs.

Sasuke was certain his heart had stopped when Gaara had closed his fist. Looking at the pale faces around him he realized he wasn't the only one.

What was Naruto's plan, Kakashi wondered. The real him must be out among the frogs, but he had no idea what good that was going to do him. The frown on Shikamaru's face told him that even the young genius hadn't figured it out yet.

Gaara began aiming sand at each remaining frog.

"Rasengan!" came a loud call from behind him.

"Where did he come from!" Kankurou asked.

"The kunai," Kakashi said, having just realized it himself. "The first kunai that the clone threw. It missed Gaara and landed behind him."

"He transformed himself into a kunai?" Lee asked.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged knowing glances. It was not the first time Naruto had used such a technique.

Gaara had been caught completely by surprise. There had been no frogs behind him. Where had Naruto come from?

He had just enough time to crouch and put his hands on the ground, causing a thick wall of sand to fly into the air, blocking him from Naruto. Gaara did not relax, though. He backed away from the wall, performing several seals.

Naruto crashed through the sand wall, and wound up sinking the Rasengan into a great amount of sand that had taken the shape of a fat raccoon wearing a hat.

"The ultimate shield," Lee breathed.

"What?" Sakura and Shikamaru asked.

"That is Gaara's ultimate defense," Lee said, remembering the goofy looking thing from the fight with Kimimaro so many years before. "What is that jutsu that made Gaara have to call on that?" Lee asked, watching Naruto dislodge his hand from the sand.

"That is the Rasengan," Tsunade answered. "Only three people have ever mastered it. Naruto, Jiraiya, and the fourth Hokage."

They looked at her in amazement then gazed back at the young man who had just used such a powerful jutsu. He was whining at Gaara. "Using your giant raccoon isn't fair!" he said, pouting.

"You use Rasengan and I'll use the Shield of Sukaku," Gaara said, impassive as ever.

He reached out his arm and sand flew at Naruto, who quickly found himself surrounded. He struggled but soon he was cocooned.

"Give up?" Gaara said.

"Like hell!" they could hear Naruto yell from inside the desert coffin.

When Gaara closed his hand slightly Sasuke made a move to stop him. He would not watch Naruto be crushed to death.

"Relax, Uchiha," Kankurou said. "Gaara won't hurt him."

"Besides," Temari said. "With Naruto's chakra control Gaara couldn't crush him anyway."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto can make his chakra surround him and harden, like an invisible shell," Temari said. "It's sort of like Gaara's armor of sand, except Gaara's does it on its on. Naruto has to think about it."

Kankurou nodded. "So if he's distracted he can still be hurt. But in a case like this the sand won't be able to crush him. Gaara is just increasing the pressure to make him uncomfortable."

The ninjas of Konoha stared at the sand that housed Naruto. Was such chakra control even possible? Not even Tsunade had heard of anything like it.

Sasuke suddenly thought back to the night he and Naruto had fought in the hallway of Hokage Tower. A shield of chakra. That must have been why Naruto was unaffected by Chidori.

Gaara's hand tightened a bit more. "Done yet, Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto didn't answer, but Gaara could hear the whispering of seals. He raised an eyebrow. Perhaps the match wasn't as over as he had thought.

"Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu!" was yelled from inside the sand. Several of those watching looked at Sasuke, who was wide eyed. That technique was rare to know, in fact most fire techniques were exclusive to the Uchiha clan. Those who had on the rare occasion seen Sasuke perform the jutsu knew that a lot of flames must be coming from Naruto's mouth. But with nowhere to go—what would happen to Naruto as the fire remained contained in the sand?

_'He's a fire fox. Fire calls him out.'_

Sasuke stared at the ball of sand. What was Naruto doing?

From the outside the sand looked no different, but Temari and Kankurou could see by the way Gaara's hand began to shake that something was definitely going on inside. Suddenly the sand began to glow red and they could feel the intense heat it was giving off, even from their distance.

"Glass," Shikamaru said suddenly. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "If you heat sand at a very high temperature it becomes glass."

They looked back at the sand and sure enough it was gradually becoming transparent. They could see Naruto standing in the center, unharmed as flames flew around his body. The sand began to melt away from him, becoming a pool of liquid glass on the ground. Naruto leapt to the ground avoiding the glass and stopping the fire jutsu, grinning at Gaara with red eyes that quickly receded to blue.

Naruto then ran at Gaara and they all waited for the sand to leap up and block him. It was a surprise to everyone when Naruto tackled Gaara, who would have landed painfully on his back, but his sand shield caught him before the impact and gently laid him down, Naruto sitting smugly on his stomach.

"Why didn't the sand block Naruto?" Kakashi said.

"It can tell if there is harmful intent," Temari said. "Otherwise no one would ever be able to touch him."

She and Kankurou smiled as Naruto continued to sit on their brother, excitedly saying, "What did you think of that, Gaara? It took me forever to think of a way to defeat your damn Desert Coffin."

Gaara raised his eyebrows, feigning indifference but a tiny smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth as the twenty five year old on top of him acted like he was twelve.

Sasuke watched the scene with a mixture of anger and jealousy.

This was the first time he had seen anything that even resembled Naruto's old personality. Around him Naruto was always quiet and almost depressed, but with Gaara he seemed—happy.

Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru were discussing the spar with Temari and Kankurou, and Sakura and Lee were involved in a conversation of their own. Sasuke was the only one paying attention to the two that were still on the field. Gaara raised his knees and Naruto leaned back, resting his back against Gaara's thighs. Naruto was still explaining how he had come up with the glass idea, smiling brightly as he remembered a particular detail.

They looked comfortable, Sasuke realized. More comfortable than he and Naruto had ever been in their entire lives.

He turned abruptly and walked away. Naruto would never be like that around him. Sasuke had betrayed him, and that was something he would never be able to completely atone for.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm. Well, Sasuke and Naruto obviously still need to havea chat. Again, those of you who love me, I love you too. Those of you who love my story, I'm sure it loves you as well. Those of you who love Gaara, well… he a complex guy, I can't say whether or not he loves you. Sorry. 

Oh, and check out the link in mybio for fanart, the previous ones didn't work, but I fixed it.


	11. Of Demons and Seals

The sun was slowly setting as Naruto made his way to Sasuke's house. He kept to the rooftops, not wanting to scare the villagers with his presence. Rumors of his return had been circulating since the group of shinobi had returned to Konoha, but he wasn't going to make any appearances to confirm them. 

Kyuubi was furious with him and if the fox had a physical impact on Naruto he was quite certain his stomach would be ripped in half from the inside. Gaara was a good ways away now; Tsunade had set him and his siblings up with rooms at Konoha's only inn. 

Kyuubi wanted to be near Sukaku's power, and Naruto had no intention of letting the two demons spend more time together than needed. 

He quickly found himself in front of Sasuke's door and, even though Sasuke's living room window was open he decided to knock. Naruto stood on the doorstep for a few moments, listening for any sound that would indicate that Sasuke was even home. He knocked again, louder this time. 

Footsteps sounded from inside the house and Naruto waited patiently as they became louder. 

The door was pulled open and Sasuke stared at him for several moments. He seemed surprised, but covered it with his usual cold indifference. 

"Can I come in?" Naruto finally said. 

Sasuke didn't answer, but he opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing Naruto to enter. "What are you doing here?" he asked. 

There weren't any lights on, and the deep red of the setting sun through the open window was all that illuminated Sasuke's living room. Sasuke closed the door and waited for Naruto to speak. 

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Well, I was discharged at the hospital and I just assumed—" he broke off his sentence. "Sorry, that was stupid of me," he said with a smile. "I'll go get Tsunade-baba to get me a room with Gaara and them." Naruto had already been wondering if seeing Sasuke again was a good idea. Obviously he was right in thinking it wasn't. 

A sudden memory flashed into Naruto's mind. With a frown he shook his head, wondering why he was suddenly thinking about practicing chakra control by climbing trees. It was completely random. 

It took Sasuke a minute to realize Naruto had come for a place to stay. "No, you can stay," he said quickly. "I just figured you'd be leaving." 

"I'll be heading out tomorrow with the sand siblings," Naruto told him, looking almost sad. 

For some reason that information angered Sasuke. They were allowed to go with Naruto but he wasn't? 

Still, Naruto was so at ease with Gaara. If Gaara made Naruto happy then Naruto should spend time with him. God knows Naruto needed some happiness in his life. Sasuke moved further into the room, taking a seat on his couch and looking at the floor. 

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, looking down at him in concern, ignoring the sudden memory of defacing Hokage mountain when he was twelve. Why were his thoughts wandering? 

"You looked really happy today," Sasuke said. 

Naruto frowned at the odd statement. "I was," he said. "Does that bother you?" 

"Of course not," Sasuke said, looking up quickly. 

Naruto gazed down at him curiously. 

Sasuke continued. "It just makes me think that I can't make you feel at ease. I guess you can't trust me anymore." 

"What?" Naruto asked, not understanding. He closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself from a sudden wave of vertigo. 

"You seem like you're able to relax around Gaara. With me you always have your guard up." 

"Sasuke," Naruto said with a laugh. "Of course I'm more relaxed around Gaara. If I loose control of Kyuubi around him he would be able to fend me off. With you I worry about what would happen. One slip and you'd be dead." 

Sasuke studied his face. So this wasn't about his betrayal? This had nothing to do with Naruto's trust of him? Naruto was just worried. 

"Let me come with you. Don't leave me alone here, Naruto." 

Naruto looked away and after a moment he met Sasuke's gaze again. "The fox will _kill_ you, Sasuke," he said. "I would never be able to forgive myself." 

"I would rather die with you than stay here by myself," Sasuke said. "I hate it here. Everyone in this village sees me as nothing but the last Uchiha. I'm surrounded by people but I have never felt more alone. I only stayed here for you. Because you loved this village and your dream was to be able to protect it. So I stayed here to do it for you." 

Naruto wanted to respond, but the dizziness from before came back and suddenly he found himself on his knees, using the edge of the couch to support his upper body as memories began to surface unbidden in his head. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the images from his past, but they remained clear in his mind. 

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in concern when his friend fell to his knees. He placed a hand on the other man's arm and felt the skin under his hand begin to grow warm. Naruto didn't respond and his eyes were shut firmly. Tendrils of red chakra began weaving around Naruto's body and Sasuke quickly started to shake him by the shoulders, ignoring the feverish temperature of his skin. "Naruto!" 

The red chakra flared up and Sasuke pulled his hands back with a hiss as Naruto's skin became so hot that it burned him. 

"Naruto!" Sasuke said loudly, not daring to touch him again. "What's going on?" 

Naruto's eyes snapped open and Sasuke almost felt relived. Then the blood red eyes fixed on him. Sasuke stood from the couch, taking several steps back as Kyuubi stood up slowly, sharp fangs gleaming at him as he grinned. 

"You should have listened to the brat," he said, advancing on Sasuke. "He told you I would kill you." 

He leapt at Sasuke, a clawed hand outstretched to slash at him. 

Wishing he had some type of weapon to defend himself with, Sasuke dove out of the way, barely missing the razor sharp nails. Kyuubi's clawed hand met instead with Sasuke's living room wall slashing straight through the wood. He lunged at Sasuke again, who managed to dodge once more. Red chakra swelled even more around Naruto's body, making him look as if he was surrounded by flames. Naruto's fingers began forming seals and Sasuke's eyes widened, looking around the living room. If Kyuubi used that jutsu there was only one way he could dodge. 

"Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu," was heard seconds after Sasuke dove out his thankfully open window, rolling as he hit the ground of his backyard. 

He turned to face his house, which he saw, with a certain degree of sadness, was now full of flames. Kyuubi followed him outside, walking slowly through the fire that had already eaten away at the walls of Sasuke's living room. 

"Naruto!" Sasuke called, summoning the Sharingan. "Wake up!" 

"Not this time, Uchiha," Kyuubi called, walking towards him. 

Then, in a flash of speed that even the Sharingan couldn't completely follow, Kyuubi was before him, claws raised. 

Sasuke tried to dodge but as he moved the claws still managed to catch him, creating four deep gashes along his left shoulder. He stumbled away, attempting to cover his viciously bleeding shoulder with his right hand. Sasuke's adrenaline was rushing so he saw more than he felt the wound; however, when he tried to move his left arm, sharp searing pain caused his vision to swim and he fought to keep himself from blacking out. 

Without the use of his left arm seals were impossible, as well as Chidori. He was defenseless and Kyuubi lunged at him again, ready to finish him off. 

Sasuke blinked at the sudden wall of sand in front of him. He heard Kyuubi's claws bounce harmlessly off it. Looking to his right he saw Gaara standing impassively at the edge of his yard. Menacing shadows splayed across the red haired man's face from the light of Sasuke's blazing house. 

"Sukaku," he heard Kyuubi say. 

The wall of sand disappeared as Kyuubi moved over to Gaara, Sasuke completely forgotten. 

"Uchiha, are you alright?" Kankurou asked, jumping down from a nearby tree. He looked over Sasuke's heavily bleeding wounds and Temari leapt from another tree, standing next to her brother with her fan at the ready. 

Sasuke began to feel dizzy and was surprised to feel Kankurou catch him when his knees gave way, easing him to sit on the ground. Kankurou ripped off some of his own shirt, pressing it against Sasuke's shoulder, in an attempt to stop the bleeding. 

Gaara watched warily as Kyuubi stood in front of him. Shukaku could feel the power Kyuubi was radiating and he was going crazy within Gaara, but the sand nin ignored the demon as best he could. 

Before he could even react Kyuubi was reaching out to grab him. Gaara's loyal sand flew up and blocked Kyuubi from his aim. With a snarl Kyuubi used his true speed, his hand flying through the defense of sand and latching around Gaara's throat. He lifted sand user a few feet from the ground but Gaara somehow managed to look as impassive as ever. He could not feel the hand tightening around his neck because of his armor of sand. 

"Sukaku," Kyuubi said gruffly as Naruto's face moved only inches from Gaara's. "I trapped my brat." 

"What?" Gaara said, not sure if Kyuubi knew whether or not he was talking to Sukaku's carrier rather than Sukaku. 

"He's stuck in his memories," Kyuubi elaborated, and the demon seemed gleeful. "You should try. Imagine the damage we could do." 

Gaara discreetly stretched out an arm. 

"Personally, I don't think either one of you is very powerful," Gaara said. "You're both stuck in two humans and are unable to escape." Goading the demons wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas, but Gaara needed to buy some time for his siblings to do what he needed of them. 

The sand siblings and Sasuke looked up in surprise as one of Gaara's sand clones suddenly appeared next to them. 

"He has Naruto trapped in his memories," the clone said to them. "I can't wake him up." 

"What do we do?" Temari asked. 

"That blonde girl," the clone said. "The one who can enter minds. Get her. Quickly." 

"Uchiha, where does she live?" Kankurou asked. 

Sasuke turned to him with slightly glazed eyes. His vision was blurring and he could barely hear what Kankurou was asking him. 

"Uchiha?" 

Sasuke felt like the voice was underwater and he closed his eyes as everything went black. 

"Sasuke!" Kankurou said, shaking him carefully, avoiding his injury. "Temari, I think he's going into shock from the blood loss." 

"We need a medical nin," she said, kneeling down and helping Kankurou lay the Uchiha flat. 

"Stay here," Kankurou said. "I'll find help."

* * *

Kakashi had never been one for sleep. Sure, he got enough to remain alert and aware but he certainly didn't sleep the way Naruto had when he was his student, nor did he find himself nodding off like Tsunade occasionally did in her office. 

Late into the night or early in the morning he could usually be found at the small black monument near the training grounds, usually sitting calmly and tracing all the names with his eyes before meditating. 

He sometimes lost track of the hours spent there, which was the reason he was so often late to, well, everything. 

Tonight his eyes were on one name. Normally he divided his attention between four of them; Rin, and Obito were never far from his mind, and of course there was his sensei, the great Fourth Hokage, the man who gave his life to protect Konoha from Kyuubi. But tonight he couldn't help but pay more attention to the name that shouldn't be there. Uzumaki Naruto. 

Kakashi still had no answers to explain Naruto's reasons for pretending to be dead. It seemed as though it had something to do with Kyuubi, but no one was willing to enlighten him. 

Kakashi's head snapped up when he felt the distinct surge of Kyuubi's malicious chakra. Standing, he quickly headed towards the source, somehow not surprised that he was running in the direction of Sasuke's house. 

He skidded to a stop when he saw Kankurou moving quickly from the direction Kakashi was headed. "Kankurou, what's going on?" he asked the puppet master, taking in his torn shirt and flustered appearance. 

"I need a medical nin and that girl who can go into minds," Kankurou told him. 

"What's happened?" 

"The longer we stand here talking about it the less time Uchiha has," Kankurou said. 

Realizing this was more serious than he had anticipated Kakashi wasted no more time. "Ino lives a few streets from here and Sakura is her neighbor. Come on," he said, leading the way. 

The two girls were more than confused when Kakashi and Kankurou drug them from their doorsteps without explanation. As they ran back to the Uchiha estate Kankurou filled them in, and worry for both Naruto and Sasuke overtook them. 

"Naruto has _Kyuubi_ in him?" Ino asked in amazement. 

"I can't believe I didn't figure it out before," Sakura said. "That must have been what you saw in his mind, Ino." 

They were still a slight ways away from Sasuke's house when the flaming building entered their vision. 

Temari breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her bother accompanied by three Konoha ninjas. She had been unable to stop Sasuke's bleeding and she feared that the man would bleed to death if he didn't get proper medical help soon. 

Sakura rushed to the injured man's side immediately, judging the damage. She placed her hands on the deep gashes and set to work trying to heal him. 

Ino and Kakashi were looking wide-eyed at the scene in the yard. Naruto was glowing with red chakra, making him look as if he were lit aflame. They watched as he tossed Gaara across the yard like a rag doll. Gaara's sand suddenly appeared catching him right before he slammed into a tree and set him back to his feet. 

Ino jumped when a voice behind her spoke. "You need to guide Naruto out of his memories." 

She turned to see a calm Gaara standing behind her, quite similar to the one currently facing Kyuubi. Ino really didn't want to go back into Naruto's head. The last time was an experience she didn't particularly want to repeat. 

Gaara's clone spoke. "Stick to Naruto's memories and you won't meet with Kyuubi." 

Ino nodded and swallowed, then raised her hands and performed the seals. 

It was dark in Naruto's mind, just as it had been the first time. Naruto's memories streamed by her, blurring together into streams of color. How was she supposed to find him? This could take forever. 

With a deep breath she stepped into the stream of memories, which immediately stopped moving and focused into a scene. 

Ino recognized her surroundings instantly. She was near the ninja academy, although not too close. There was a crowd of parents and children and happy chatter filled the air. Suddenly catching sight of her twelve year old self excitedly showing of her new hitai-ate to her father, Ino realized exactly what day this was. 

Graduation day. 

She looked around the memory for Naruto and paused when she turned and finally spotted him. It was the twelve-year-old Naruto, not the adult one she was looking for. He was sitting by himself on a swing in the playground across from the school quietly watching the crowd. There were goggles on his forehead and for a moment Ino wondered why, but then she remembered that Naruto had not graduated. 

A conversation caught her attention and from the look on the young Naruto's face she could tell he could hear it too. 

"That's the kid. He's the only one who failed." 

"Well, that's good." 

"We can't have him becoming a shinobi since he is—" 

"Hey, we can't talk about that." 

Ino watched sadly as Naruto slid from the swing and ran off. 

Suddenly the scene changed and she found herself in the center of the village. She watched a little Naruto stumble from Konoha's sweet shop, backing away quickly. Naruto was younger in this memory than in the last, maybe eight or nine this time. 

"Don't come back here you little monster!" the old woman who owned the shop said, brandishing a broom. 

Ino looked on in amazement. The little old lady had always seemed so kind when she and Sakura used to visit the shop when they were younger. 

"I won't have you stealing from me!" 

Well, that made sense, Ino thought, watching as she tried to smack Naruto in the head with the broom. He nimbly avoided it, taking off. As he ran by Ino, though, she noticed the money clenched tightly in his fist. 

The scene blurred again and Ino was surprised to see an older Naruto. This memory was obviously sometime after he had left Konoha. His blonde hair was tied up under his hitai-ate and he was now in darker colors instead of the trademark orange jumpsuit. Ino figured he was probably sixteen or seventeen. 

It was night and, with a bit of surprise, she saw that he was sitting next to Gaara. They were near the edge of a river and Ino didn't recognize the surroundings at all so she assumed they weren't anywhere near Konoha. 

The two lumps in sleeping bags not far from the boys must have been Gaara's siblings she realized. 

"How have you done this for so long?" she heard Naruto ask, punctuating his question with a loud yawn. 

Gaara shrugged. 

Naruto's eyes began to droop and suddenly a small ball of sand flew up from the ground, smacking him in the head. 

"Ow!" Naruto hissed, rubbing the spot he'd been hit. 

"Stay awake," was all Gaara said. 

"It would be easier if you were better company," Naruto growled. "Talking to you is about as interesting as talking to a wall." He crossed his arms and looked away from the sand nin with a humph. 

"Do you ever think about just letting go?" Gaara suddenly asked, 

Naruto turned back to him, obviously confused. "What?" 

"The demon. Do you ever wonder how much easier things would be if you just went to sleep and let him take over?" 

"No," Naruto said. "It might be easier for us, but think of all the death and destruction we would cause." 

Gaara looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Ino realized that the red haired man had never really seemed to care about innocent lives. 

"Okay, fine," Naruto said, catching the meaning behind Gaara's look. "How about this then. Letting him take over is proving that you don't have the power to fight him. To let him take over is to show you're weak." 

There was a pause where Gaara considered his words. 

"I'm not weak," Gaara finally said. 

"Neither am I," Naruto said. 

The area blurred again and the scene shifted several times, so quickly that Ino could only hear what was being said. 

"Naruto, you're annoying." 

"Baka!" 

"Stupid." 

"You are such an idiot." 

"What a moron." 

Ino recognized several of the voices, one of which had been her own. The last voice though she definitely recognized. 

"Dobe." 

The scene finally cleared and Ino could once again see her surroundings. She stood on a cliff over looking a large river that turned into a high waterfall. Looking across the river she saw a huge statue that stood over the waterfall like a guard, then she noticed that there was one on the side she was on as well. Ino had never seen this place before and she wondered if it was somewhere that Naruto had come across after leaving Konoha, until she finally saw Naruto standing on the index finger of the statue on her side of the river. He was still clad in the bright orange from his youth, blonde hair hanging heavily around his face. He was soaked. 

"Did that wake you up?" he yelled. 

Ino couldn't see who he was talking to, but he was staring at the face of the statue as if someone was clinging there. 

A voice she recognized answered him and slowly Ino began to realize what she must be seeing. The infamous fight between Sasuke and Naruto at the Valley of the End. The fight that everyone speculated over but no one knew the details to. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke had ever spoken of it. 

Sasuke suddenly appeared in her line of vision as he lunged at Naruto, punching him fiercely and knocking him from the statue down to the water below. 

They exchanged words that Ino couldn't hear and then they went at it, Naruto rushing the statue, while Sasuke ran vertically down. They met with punches and after a moment Naruto ended up back on the water, using his chakra to stand on it, and Sasuke hung from the statue. 

Ino's eyes widened when Sasuke's left hand began to glow blue with chakra. He was going to use Chidori on Naruto? 

Sasuke was actually trying to kill Naruto, she realized in shock. 

Naruto had never told them what had happened when he went after Sasuke, but she never would have believed that Sasuke had actually attempted to kill him. 

"You know, of all my memories, I always seem to come back to this one as my worst," a deep voice said, causing Ino to jump in surprise. She turned quickly to her right to see Naruto, the real Naruto, sitting on the edge of the cliff watching as his younger self powered up Rasengan. 

The two powerful jutsu's met and the adults watched as the boys were tossed backwards from one another. They quickly began to fight again and Sasuke managed to grab a hold of Naruto's collar, picking him up and holding him a few inches from the ground. Ino looked on in horror as Chidori formed once again in Sasuke's hand, and was shoved through Naruto's chest. 

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" she said softly. 

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't want it hanging over Sasuke when he came back." 

"How did you know he would even be back?" Ino asked. "He betrayed Konoha. He nearly killed you!" 

Naruto smiled, standing up. "I just knew." 

Ino suddenly remembered why she was there in the first place. "Naruto, Kyuubi's taken over. You need to wake up." 

"I've been trying, but I can't get out of here," he said with a deep frown. "Kyuubi somehow trapped me in my memories." 

For the first time since Ino had known him Naruto looked helpless. 

"Well, you have to figure out something," she said. "Kyuubi seriously hurt Sasuke and he's attacking Gaara." 

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be deep in thought. Finally he spoke. "I need you to go back and tell Gaara to do it." 

"To do what?" Ino asked. 

"He'll know what I mean. It's the only way to wake me up," Naruto said. "Go tell him." 

Ino looked around, eyes lingering on the boys still fighting below, surprised to see Naruto's form surrounded by red chakra that was beginning to take the shape of Kyuubi. "I don't know how to get out of here, Naruto. I don't have the use of your hands." 

Naruto began to glow blue as he focused his chakra. "Go!" he said, and Ino felt herself being pulled from his body and slamming back into hers. She opened her eyes with a gasp and looked up at Kakashi, who had caught her when she fell limp. 

"It didn't work?" he asked her worriedly. She had only just preformed the jutsu moments before and it looked as if Kyuubi hadn't let her into Naruto's mind. 

Her eyes immediately searched out Gaara's clone. "He said to do it," she said to him, hoping that Naruto was correct and Gaara would understand what he meant. 

"He _what_?" Temari said, moving next to her. 

"Kyuubi has him trapped in his memories," Ino told them as Kakashi helped her stand upright. "He said it's the only way to wake him up." 

"That is what he said?" Gaara asked. 

Ino nodded. 

"Gaara," Temari said. "If you do it while Naruto's consciousness is trapped you could permanently switch them!" 

"It's what Naruto wants me to do, Temari," Gaara's clone said before it turned into a pile of sand, effectively ending the conversation. 

Temari sighed. 

"What does Naruto want him to do?" Kakashi asked. 

"Goguoufuuin," she said. 

"The five part seal?" Kakashi said in astonishment. "That's a forbidden technique." 

"They both learned it," Kankurou said, coming to stand next to his sister. "In case they needed to seal each other." 

"But by doing it with Kyuubi in control they run the risk of simply sealing away Naruto's chakra and leaving Kyuubi in control." 

"But if you can seal Kyuubi's chakra why didn't they just perform the seal when Naruto had control?" Ino asked. 

"The five point seal also makes it difficult for Naruto to control his own chakra. Instead of the two chakras mixing they start to become at odds with one another. Leaving it on for too long weakens him significantly," Temari explained. 

Kyuubi rushed at Gaara, using Naruto's hand to once again grab Gaara by his neck. Gaara made no attempt to even move away, simply allowing Kyuubi to hold him by the throat. 

Naruto's mouth broke into a fanged grin until Kyuubi realized his legs were bound tightly by sand. He lifted his free hand to slash at Gaara but he snarled in frustration when he saw that that too was restrained by sand. Gaara's raised his right hand and performed a one handed seal. Five tiny blue flames of chakra appeared on each one of his fingertips. With his left hand he lifted Naruto's shirt, revealing the black curse seal on his stomach. Reeling his arm back he slammed his fingers into Naruto's stomach. 

There was a howl of pain and suddenly the flare of red chakra that had surrounded Naruto's body died out. 

Gaara did not remove the sand restraints until blue eyes blinked at him, and the hand around his neck was quickly released. 

"I'm sorry Gaara," Naruto said softly as he took in the other man's ruffled appearance. 

"Now we're even for our first fight," Gaara said with a shrug. 

Naruto looked around Sasuke's backyard, sadly watching as Sasuke's house continued to burn. His eyes then fell on the still Anbu Sakura was leaning over and he rushed over to him, ignoring the wave of dizziness caused by the seal. 

"Is he alright?" he asked Sakura fearfully. 

"He'll be okay," she assured him. The gashes along his shoulder had been healed but the angry red scars on Sasuke's pale skin showed Naruto exactly what had been done. 

No one spoke as he sat still for several moments. 

"I'm sorry," he finally said, but they didn't know if he was speaking to them or to Sasuke. 

He then stood, not meeting anyone's eyes and took off, leaving everyone staring after him as he disappeared into the night. 


	12. Of Solutions

The first thing he could feel when he woke was a soft hand resting on his arm. His eyes were heavy and it was a considerable struggle for him to open them, only to have to immediately squint in order to block out the bright light that invaded his senses. 

When his eyes adjusted he looked towards the hand on his arm to see that it belonged to Sakura. The pink haired woman gave him a weak smile when she saw he was awake. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked. 

Sasuke glanced around the bland white room, realizing he was in the hospital. 

"What happened?" he asked, pushing himself into a sitting position. 

"Naruto lost control of Kyuubi," a voice from behind Sakura said. 

Kakashi was leaning against the wall by the door. 

"That much I know," Sasuke said, glancing at his sore shoulder to see the wounds. They were nothing now but pink scars. "Is Naruto okay?" he asked. 

"Gaara managed to wake him up," Kakashi said. 

"He made sure you were alright then ran off," Sakura told him. 

Sasuke quickly looked at her. "He's gone?" 

"We haven't seen him since last night," Kakashi said. 

Sasuke tossed the sheets from his lap and made to get out of bed. 

"Sasuke!" Sakura admonished. "You need to rest." 

Sasuke ignored her. 

"He's still in Konoha," a monotone voice spoke from the doorway. Kakashi looked next to him in surprise. He hadn't even sensed Gaara approaching. 

"Are you sure?" he asked the sand nin. 

"Yes. I can feel him. He is still here." 

"Where is he?" Sasuke said, getting to his feet. 

"Sasuke," Sakura protested. "You really shouldn't—" She stopped when Kakashi tossed Sasuke a pair of pants and a shirt and sighed. 

"All your stuff was destroyed in the fire," Kakashi told him. "You can borrow this for a while." 

Sasuke nodded his thanks, pulling on one of Kakashi's typical jounin uniforms without the vest. When he was dressed Sasuke looked to Gaara once more. "Where is he?" he asked again. 

Gaara looked out the window and Sasuke followed his gaze, realizing exactly where Naruto had to be.

* * *

It took a little while for Sasuke to reach the top of Mt. Hokage. In the twenty something years he had spent in the village he had never been on the monument. He actually wasn't sure if anyone was even allowed to be up here; he'd never heard any rules forbidding it, but this was a monument and a place of respect. 

Sasuke wasn't surprised to see Naruto sitting comfortably between several rocky spikes that were a part of the Fourth's hair. 

If Naruto sensed his presence he didn't turn, and Sasuke carefully made his way along the Fourth's head until he finally stood next to him. 

Naruto's knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around his legs. His chin rested on his knees as he stared out over Konoha. The sun had risen several hours ago and the center of the village was slowly filling with people as shops began to open. 

Sasuke took a seat next to Naruto. He looked more weary than usual, but his eyes remained their normal bright blue. 

"Are you okay?" Naruto said, still looking out over Konoha. 

"I'm fine," Sasuke answered. 

They sat in silence for a while, admiring the view, until Naruto spoke, this time looking at Sasuke. "I'm sorry I burned down your house," he said, looking extremely distressed. 

Sasuke shrugged. "It was just a house." 

"You grew up there," Naruto said incredulously. 

"By myself," Sasuke said. "It's where Itachi killed my parents. There aren't many good memories there." 

The wind picked up, ruffling Sasuke's hair. Sasuke found himself staring at the large face of the Third. He appeared much younger in the monument than Sasuke remembered him, having had his face carved in the rock long before the deep wrinkles had begun to appear on his face. Sasuke wasn't able to fully see the faces of the Second and First around the Third. 

Turning to the other side Sasuke examined the young face of the Fifth—Tsunade, the current Hokage. 

"At your—funeral—Tsunade said she had picked you to be the Sixth," Sasuke said. 

Naruto shrugged. "Once upon a time ago." 

"Are you going to do it now that everyone knows you aren't dead?" 

Naruto snorted. "I can't protect Konoha like this," he said. "People need to protect Konoha from me." 

Sasuke frowned. "You gave up on your dream that easily?" 

"Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they turn to dust," Naruto said quietly. "Becoming Hokage is a dream that's now far out of my reach." 

"When did you become such a pessimist?" 

Naruto laughed. "I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. You saw what happened last night. I destroyed your house and tried to kill you." Naruto cut himself off, frustrated. Kyuubi's influence was rapidly growing. He could almost hear the fox in his head now and the instinct to kill was stronger in him than ever before. Kyuubi took over his body when he was awake. That had never happened before—he was gaining too much control. Naruto understood that the seal had been progressively weakening as the years had gone by. The comforting presence that had kept Kyuubi somewhat separated from him was fading and soon it would be gone completely. 

The five part seal was keeping the fox's chakra at bay for now. He could feel that both chakras within him were now separated, but they were becoming unstable because they couldn't mix. Soon he would need Gaara to remove the seal. After that Kyuubi would have free reign again and this time Naruto was sure the fox was planning to attempt breaking the seal for good. 

He had spent the last several hours considering his options but, as usual, only one seemed apparent. 

"Sasuke," Naruto began tentatively. "I'm losing." 

"Losing what?" Sasuke asked, looking at him. 

"Kyuubi's going to take over soon," Naruto told him. 

"You'll fight him off again," Sasuke told him, his lips curled into a frown. 

"No," Naruto said. "He's going to take over _completely_." He needed Sasuke to understand. Once the seal was broken there was no way Naruto could fight the fox. 

Sasuke was staring at him intently, apparently trying to judge if Naruto was serious. 

With a sigh, Naruto reached up and loosened his hitai-ate, pulling it off and placing it in his pocket. Sasuke's stomach dropped. Naruto's hair had grown redder since the last time he had seen it. It now looked as if Naruto was a redhead with blonde highlights rather than the other way around. 

Naruto's voice ran through his mind. 

_'The more connected we become, the redder it gets.'_

"The seal is weakening," Naruto said, standing. He lifted his shirt, using a bit of chakra in order to make the seal on his stomach appear. 

Sasuke had only seen the seal a few times before, when they were younger. It looked the same, a spiral around Naruto's navel with several markings that looked like flames around it. But now it was a faded light gray color rather than the solid black it had once been. 

Sasuke stood as well. 

"Sasuke," Naruto said, serious. "Someone needs to stop me before Kyuubi takes over." 

Sasuke knew what Naruto was trying to say, but he shook his head. "We should go talk to Tsunade. I'm sure she'll be able to strengthen the seal." 

"She's been looking for ways to since I left. There's nothing else that can be done." Naruto paused, then continued. "My death is his death." 

There was a long silence as Sasuke searched for something to say, someway to show Naruto that death was not the only option. 

Naruto's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I want it to be you." 

"Naruto don't be stupid!" Sasuke snapped. "We'll figure out something else." 

"Sasuke, I've been trying to 'figure out something' for the last ten years. There is nothing to figure out. He's going to take over. I will not let him use my body as a medium to kill everyone who's important to me!" 

"So instead I have to kill the one person who is important to me?" Sasuke said, his voice rising. "No. I won't do it." 

"Sasuke," Naruto said quietly, looking towards Konoha. "I don't want to ask anyone else." 

"Don't want anyone else to have to deal with it?" Sasuke snapped. "You'll spare them the pain. Just leave it to Sasuke, no need to stain anyone else's hands." 

Naruto shook his head. "No. I don't want it to be anyone but you. You're my best friend and the only one I trust." 

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, swallowing the lump in his throat. 

"Only you can do it," Naruto said, looking Sasuke's left hand. Sasuke immediately understood the significance. 

"I've used Chidori on you three times and you haven't died," he argued, resolve cracking with his voice. 

Naruto smiled. "You never aimed for my heart." 

Sasuke turned away, refusing to meet Naruto's eyes. "Please don't ask me to do this." 

Naruto didn't respond and for a moment the two men stood in silence. 

"Let's go back to the village," Naruto finally said. Taking hold of Sasuke's arm, Naruto began to lead them off the Fourth's head. Naruto's free hand subconsciously settled on his stomach, clutching the fabric of the shirt directly above the seal. With the five part seal still in place Kyuubi would be unable to take over. But it had to be done soon.

* * *

All Shikamaru had to see was the firm set of her lips and the fiery glare in Ino's eyes as she advanced on him to know that, somehow, once again, he was in trouble. Since the other night when he had almost died in the forest, Ino had treated him nicely. Actually, more than nice, the young woman was almost—sweet; however, judging from her expression, the terrifying blonde was back to her normal self. 

He looked around for a means of escape but he had been standing in plain view with Chouji and the former Team Eight. They were on the outskirts of town, meeting up before going to lunch. Kiba had told them about the rumor that Sasuke's house had caught on fire last night and Hinata, in her quiet voice, had been saying that they should go visit him and offer to help him if he needed it, when Chouji and Shikamaru had felt the intense aura that had for years caused them to try and flee. 

With relief Chouji saw the look was directed at his best friend and took a step towards Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, giving Shikamaru plenty of room to dodge any blows sent his way. 

"You knew, didn't you Shikamaru?" Ino said when she reached him, ignoring the other four ninjas completely. 

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Why was he always getting yelled at for knowing things? 

"What?" Shikamaru asked. 

"Kyuubi," she hissed. Shikamaru's eyes widened. Chouji and Team Eight looked between them curiously. 

"How long have you known that Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto?" Ino said. 

"_What_?" Kiba blurted, staring at her. They had all heard stories about the Fourth defeating the nine tails fox demon called Kyuubi. 

"Why weren't we ever told?" Ino said. 

Shikamaru was angry. Ino was obviously upset but it wasn't right for her to go around telling everyone. "You weren't told because it's none of your business," he snapped, surprising everyone. "The Fourth sealed Kyuubi in him the day he was born. No one from our generation was allowed to know because the Third knew that we would hate him the way the older generation did. The way our parents did." 

"That's why everyone was such assholes to him?" Kiba growled. Akamaru whined at his master's anger. 

"It explains why so few came to his funeral," Shino said, thoughtfully. 

"Poor Naruto-kun," Hinata said sadly. "It's not his fault." 

"He's our friend," Chouji said with a nod of his head. "If we had known why the villagers treated him the way they did, we could have defended him." 

Shikamaru blinked at them all. He hadn't been sure how his friends would react, and part of him assumed they wouldn't stop and think about the Naruto they knew as a person and look at him the way everyone else did. He was happy to be wrong for once. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when Hinata stepped forward. "Naruto-kun!" she called with a wave. Her call of course was still very soft spoken. 

The rest of the group looked to see two men walking side by side, heading from the direction of Mt. Hokage. The shorter of the two smiled timidly when he heard her call his name and saw the group. He raised his hand in greeting. 

They were all looking at him strangely and Naruto felt his smile falter. His eyes fell on Ino, who was glaring at him, and he suddenly realized what the looks were for. Ino must have told them. 

Sasuke caught the sudden tensing of Naruto's body and he found himself glaring at everyone. 

"Why?" Ino asked, looking between them. "Why are you with him? How can you trust him? He almost killed you!" 

"That wasn't his fault," Sasuke growled dangerously, noticing Naruto's wide blue eyes. 

Ino whirled on him, surprising everyone. "That's not what I'm talking about!" she said, eyes blazing. 

It was Sasuke's turn to be wide eyed as he backed away from the angry woman. 

"You put a _Chidori_ through his chest at the Valley of the End! You wanted to kill him!" 

Everyone's eyes were now on Sasuke, who had lost what little color his pale skin usually had and was now ghostly white. 

"Ino, stop," Naruto's calm voice said. 

"How can you stand there pretending it didn't happen?" she asked. "You told me yourself that that was your worst memory." 

Naruto saw the stricken look that momentarily crossed Sasuke's face. 

"Ino," Naruto said. "When I said it was my worst memory I wasn't referring to what Sasuke did." 

Both Ino and Sasuke looked at him in surprise. 

"It's the worst because I failed that day. By losing, I let my best friend go off to what could have been his death. I couldn't protect him." 

Everyone was now staring at him. Naruto had grown up, they realized. 

"Besides," Naruto said with a shrug. "Losing to this bastard is embarrassing." 

Sasuke snorted and the tension that had settled over the small group dissipated. 

"Naruto," Kiba said seriously, moving to stand in front of the whiskered man. Both Naruto and Sasuke tensed, waiting for the inevitable question: _'Why did you leave?'_

He looked at the scruffy man in confusion when Kiba asked his actual question. "What the hell did you do to your hair?" 

He had completely forgotten that he wasn't wearing his hitai-ate. 

Kiba grinned. "I know you're friends with Gaara but really, I wouldn't take fashion advice from him. Red is not your color," he said, tossing an arm around Naruto's shoulder and dragging the poor confused man towards town. "Come on, we were on our way to get lunch." 

Sasuke almost smiled when he heard Naruto ask, "Ramen?" with that same hopeful tone he had always used as a child. 

Shino and Hinata followed their former teammate and the old Team Ten began was right behind them. Naruto looked over his shoulder, sending Sasuke a smile and, seeing this, Kiba called back, "You coming, Uchiha?" 

Sasuke shrugged and looked away, hiding his smile as he followed them.

* * *

Tsunade thanked Kakashi before dismissing him, having been debriefed on exactly what had happened at the Uchiha residence the night before. When the silver haired jounin was gone, Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, who was leaning against her wall. His thick arms were crossed and his head was down with his chin resting on his chest. His comfortable positioning and closed eyes made him look asleep, but Tsunade knew better. 

With a sigh, Jiraiya looked up. 

"This is the second time in less than a week," Tsunade said. 

Jiraiya didn't look at her. "He's losing control." 

Tsunade tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose, suddenly thankful for the jutsu that kept her always appearing young. Without it, the stress of the job she held would have made her look even older than she actually was. "God, I need a drink," she said. "I've looked through all the books and scrolls I have access to. I can't find any way to strengthen the seal." 

Jiraiya didn't answer her. 

"I'm the Hokage," Tsunade continued. "I have to think about the protection of Konoha. If he can't keep control anymore—" she trailed off, burying her face in her palms. "Everyone is in danger." Her voice was muffled behind her hands. "Not just Konoha, but _everyone_. Letting him leave Konoha would be the same as sicking Kyuubi on other villages." 

Jiraiya finally spoke. "Are you honestly thinking what I think you are?" 

Tsunade didn't look up, but the tensing of her shoulders was all the answer Jiraiya needed. "I don't know what else to do," she said, and he could tell she was crying. "Give me another option, Jiraiya. Please." 

But Jiraiya had no other options. As much as admitting it made him feel sick, Tsunade's solution appeared to be the only one. 

Tsunade finally looked at him, tears sliding down her face, and Jiraiya realized that, despite her jutsu, she looked old and tired. "I'll send a team of Anbu," she said. 

"No," Jiraiya said, pushing himself from the wall and striding to the center of the room. "I'll do it. He was my student and I will not have him killed by a team of Anbu like he's some missing nin." 

Tsunade nodded weakly, looking out the window. "I'll leave it to you then," she said quietly. 

Jiraiya said nothing else as he exited the office. 

Tsunade sat at her desk, clutching the necklace hanging from her neck. Naruto had handed it to her before he left. 

_'This should stay with you, Tsunade-baba. You'll take better care of it than I would.'_

Her grip tightened as she stared at Mt. Hokage.

* * *

A/N: Not a lot of action in this one, but sometimes things just need to be talked over. It'll pick up next chapter, I promise. 

The phrase Naruto says, "Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hand long after they turn to dust" is a quote from the movie Dragonheart and not mine. 


	13. Of Reunions

Sakura smiled across the table at Lee, who was in the midst of telling her a story about a recent mission with Gai, complete with flailing arms and large facial expressions. 

Years ago, Lee's—excitable personality embarrassed her, especially when they were in small public spaces like the restaurant they were currently eating at. Somehow though, Lee had grown on her to the point that she found his behavior endearing. He was like an innocent little kid and his big happy grins were contagious. 

Besides everyone who knew Gai understood the young man's unrestrained exuberance and few people in the village thought twice anymore when either green clad man went off on a loud tangent about the beauty of youth and self-respect. 

Sakura giggled as a waitress ducked under one of Lee's grander arm motions and continued on her trek to the table next to them as if nothing had happened. 

Suddenly Lee became even more excited and Sakura found herself wondering why she was surprised that that could happen. 

"Shikamaru!" the dark haired jounin called, waving frantically. "Kiba!" 

Sakura turned to see that not only were Shikamaru and Kiba standing by the door but both their former genin teams were with them. She smiled sadly. It was nice that they still did things together. With Naruto's "death" and Sasuke's desire to sulk alone in the Uchiha compound, Team Seven hadn't done anything as a whole since they were twelve. 

The teams wandered over to them and Lee asked a passing waiter if they could place a few tables together. Sakura took a drink and nearly spit it out when she saw that teams Ten and Eight were not alone. 

There stood Naruto, looking odd with his red hair, smiling as he looked around the restaurant, and next to him was Sasuke, hands shoved in pockets and staring ahead with his usual scowl. 

"Naruto!" she said, standing up and giving the surprised man a hug. Sasuke had found him then. She was glad. 

"Hi, Sasuke," she said, knowing better than to try and hug him, instead placing her hand on his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

He nodded at her. 

Team Seven was whole again. 

Naruto found that he actually had fun. He had been expecting an uncomfortable reunion consisting of a barrage of questions that he didn't want to answer. Instead they ate and laughed and talked about everything and nothing at all. His friends pulled him back into the group as if the previous ten years hadn't happened. 

Sasuke didn't join in with much of the happy banter but, although he didn't look it, watching Naruto's bright smile as he caught up with everyone made him happy. Of course the conversation they had had on Mt. Hokage was still fresh on his mind, but it was hard to worry about it when Naruto was having so much fun. 

Naruto suddenly felt eyes on him. He looked around the restaurant, ignoring the odd stares or, on occasion, glares that were being sent his way. His gaze finally met with a set of warm brown eyes. A man stood near the door, thick brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a green chuunin vest over his clothes. He was watching Naruto intensely, biting on his bottom lip. 

The chatter at the table faded as Naruto stood and they all looked to him in confusion. He ignored them, walking over to the chuunin by the door and standing in front of him. 

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto said, unsure of what else to say. 

Iruka didn't answer right away and Naruto nervously played with the edge of his shirt. Suddenly the pony tailed man grabbed Naruto and pulled him into a tight hug. 

"I heard some villagers saying they saw you here and—" Iruka paused, taking a shaky breath. "Tsunade-sama said you were dead all those years ago—but I couldn't help it. I had to come see." 

Naruto hugged Iruka back. He had missed Iruka so intensely when he had first left that his heart ached every time he thought about the gentle chuunin. He was the only thing close to family that Naruto had had and he had known that if anyone in Konoha would be affected by his apparent death it would be him. And to hurt him like that had pained Naruto. 

"How have you been?" Naruto asked when Iruka let him go. 

Iruka let out a noise that seemed to be a cross between a laugh and a sob. "Okay," he answered quietly. 

Sasuke and the others discreetly watched the reunion between teacher and student. Naruto and Iruka spoke for a few moments before the former blonde walked back to the table. "I'm going to go to Iruka-sensei's house for a little while," he told them, although the explanation was more for Sasuke. "I'm glad I got to see you all once—again." 

Sasuke caught the hesitation in Naruto's sentence and he glared at him, knowing what he had almost said. _More_. 

Everyone said their goodbyes, resisting the urge to ask him to stay and explain himself. 

Naruto was gone a few moments later and they sat quietly for a bit until a familiar voice interrupted their thoughts with a, "Yo." 

Kakashi stood behind Sasuke and he had appeared so suddenly that they had to wonder if he had just teleported in. 

"Sasuke," the silver haired jounin said. "The Hokage wants to see you." 

Sasuke nodded and stood, exiting the restaurant without bothering to say goodbye. 

"Bye!" Kiba called at his retreating back, adding, "You jerk," when he was certain the Uchiha was out of hearing range.

* * *

When he left Iruka's it had grown dark. Naruto had spent hours just talking with the older man, reminiscing, catching up. When Iruka had asked why he left Naruto had told him, only because he could never feel right if the chuunin did not know the truth. 

He decided to take a walk around Konoha because, honestly, he had no idea what to do next. He needed to talk to Sasuke again. If for no other reason than to say goodbye. If Sasuke couldn't kill him then he would do it himself. There wasn't much time left for him to argue about it. But he needed to see Sasuke one more time. 

Naruto found himself at the edge of the training grounds and he was about to leave when he felt a familiar presence. Naruto dodged the shuriken that had flown from behind him with ease and a smile. 

Now this brought back memories. He turned, catching the kunai that was heading for his face. 

"You can do better than that, pervert," he said, flipping the kunai in his hand for a better grip and raising it to defend himself as Jiraiya appeared from the branches of one of the surrounding trees, slashing at him with another kunai. Metal clashed with metal. 

For the three years he had trained with Jiraiya this was how they had sparred. The sannin let him do most of the training on his own but he would randomly attack Naruto when the boy had seemed off guard. After years of this Naruto was rarely ever taken by surprise. 

Naruto ducked a punch and kicked out his legs, trying to sweep Jiraiya's legs out from under him. The Sannin leapt into the air avoiding the hit. 

"You lost control again," Jiraiya said, landing back on the ground and not even pausing before sending another kunai at Naruto, who calmly sidestepped. 

"There's not much control left to lose," Naruto told him honestly. 

They stood across from one another, neither saying anything for a few long moments. Jiraiya seemed to be avoiding his eyes. Finally, Naruto spoke. "This isn't going to be just another spar, is it?" It was more of a statement that a question. 

Jiraiya slowly shook his head. "It was either me or a bunch of Anbu," he told his former student, raising his eyes to steadily meet the blue eyed gaze. 

"I'm glad it's you," Naruto said. "But you're going to have to do better than you just were." He dropped into a ready stance. "There's only one person I'll let kill me without a fight and it's not you." 

Jiraiya silently observed the younger man. He had thought that he could do this, but now that he was here, standing across from his former student—his determination wavered. 

Naruto saw the hesitation. "Don't let emotions into this Ero-sennin. This is just mission." 

Jiraiya took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, kid. You ready?" 

"Always." 

As Jiraiya attacked, Naruto realized he had a severe disadvantage. With the five part seal in place his chakra control was shaky at best. 

Fortunately, Jiraiya seemed to be testing his skills for now, attacking only with taijutsu. 

Speed-wise, Naruto had the upper hand. He was easily able to dodge the kicks and punches thrown at him. 

Realizing he could do nothing close range, Jiraiya leapt away, putting some distance between them. He pulled out six kunai, holding them between his fingers. He needed to slow Naruto down. If he could make even one or two of these hit—he began to feel nauseous. 

Naruto's words came back to him. _'This is just a mission.'_ Naruto understood. He didn't blame him. 

He infused chakra into the kunai before spinning and sending them flying at Naruto at speeds even he couldn't completely dodge. He watched in surprise as the red haired man made no move to dodge the kunai, instead standing impassively with his arms crossed, eerily similar to another red haired demon vessel that Jiraiya knew. 

The kunai hit, but instead of slicing into Naruto they bounced harmlessly off him, as if his skin were solid. 

When the threat was gone Naruto quickly released the chakra shield. It had taken an extreme amount of concentration to do something that had over the years become second nature. His chakra was more unstable now that he had tapped into it and he wasn't certain how much more he would be able to use. 

Jiraiya didn't let the surprise of Naruto's blocking the kunai distract him for long, instead opting to attempt a jutsu. He had to slow Naruto down or he would never be able to do what he had to. His fingers flew into familiar seals and with a call of, "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Jiraiya curled his hand around his mouth, controlling the flames that he was spitting out into a large fireball. 

Naruto almost didn't dodge. He hadn't needed to dodge fire techniques since he was almost eighteen. But then he remembered that Kyuubi's chakra was sealed and it would not be able to absorb the flames as it normally did. With quick hand seals he called out, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" and ten clones appeared before him, taking the hit instead. 

Naruto nearly lost his balance. His chakra felt as though it was bouncing around inside his body. The sensation was making him dizzy and he could not get enough control over his chakra to use it again. 

Jiraiya didn't pause long after the fire attack, throwing several kunai, knowing that they wouldn't hit, but hoping to distract Naruto long enough to give him a chance to use another jutsu. 

He stopped in surprise when the kunai didn't bounce harmlessly from his student. One sank deep into his right thigh, another into his shoulder and one slammed into his stomach. 

Naruto grunted, stumbling backwards at the impact. His back hit a tree and he found himself leaning against the trunk, no longer able to hold himself up. Naruto slid down the tree, sitting calmly at the base. His left leg was bent, allowing him to rest his arm on the knee and Jiraiya would have thought he was just relaxing under a tree if he couldn't see the three kunai sticking out of him. 

Jiraiya moved closer, his feeling as if someone had taken hold of his heart and begun squeezing it. He stood a few feet away from Naruto with a painful look of regret etched onto his features. 

"Can you do it with one hit, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked tiredly, blue eyes looking up at him through red bangs. 

"Yeah, kid," Jiraiya said softly. He raised a kunai. "I'm sorry, Naruto." 

"You're doing me a favor, believe me," Naruto said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the trunk behind him. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jiraiya threw the kunai, aiming for the young man's heart. 

Naruto heard the kunai leave his sensei's hand and he braced himself for the impact that never came. 

He opened his eyes and lifted his head, blinking at the back of navy blue clad legs. The kunai that was meant for his heart was clenched tightly in a shaking fist. 

Jiraiya remained where he was, calmly meeting Sasuke's blazing gaze. The Sharingan had stained Sasuke's eyes red and the three dots surrounded his pupils were spinning dangerously. 

"What are you doing?" he asked Jiraiya, his voice sounding like a growl. 

"Carrying out a mission," Jiraiya returned, not allowing the relief he had felt when Sasuke caught the kunai show through his calm facade. 

"A mission?" Sasuke hissed. Rage was radiating from him. Wishing dearly he had his katana to slice the sannin in half, Sasuke prepared to launch himself at Jiraiya. He didn't care if he was one of the legendary three. He was going to kill him. 

"Sasuke, stop." 

Naruto's voice was soft and the words came out as more of a choked groan. Recognizing the pain laced in Naruto's voice Sasuke quickly turned, forgetting Jiraiya entirely. 

Naruto had somehow pushed himself into a standing position and was leaning heavily on the tree for support. He had pulled the kunai from his body and now blood was flowing down his arm from the shoulder wound, small streams of red culminating at his fingertips and dripping like rain onto the grass. There was a growing dark stain from the stomach wound on the navy blue shirt and, although his black pants hid the extent of the leg wound from view, Sasuke could see blood trailing down Naruto's ankle. 

Sasuke went to him quickly, placing Naruto's good arm around his shoulder and wrapping an arm gently around his waist. 

"How long will it take for Kyuubi to heal you?" he asked, wondering if he should find a medic nin. 

"Kyuubi's chakra is sealed right now," Naruto told him. "He can't heal me." 

"What?" Sasuke asked. He had been unconscious when Gaara had woken Naruto up, but no one had told him anything about a sealing. 

"Gaara put a five point seal on him," Jiraiya explained. 

Sasuke nodded, thoughtful. "Then—doesn't that solve the problem?" he asked, looking at Naruto, who shook his head. 

"The seal messes with my chakra as well," he said. "I only used it twice tonight and it's bouncing all over my body. When the two chakras can't mix they become unstable. The seal is only temporary." 

Sasuke sighed. 

Naruto suddenly leaned more heavily on him and Sasuke realized he was having more trouble supporting himself. 

"I need to get you to a medical nin," Sasuke said. He glared at Jiraiya as if daring him to try and stop him. 

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "Maybe you should just let—" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Sasuke reached down and scooped him into his arms. Carefully adjusting Naruto so as not to jar his wounds he began heading towards the village. 

Naruto sighed. 

Sasuke decided on his destination fairly quickly. Normally he would have taken Naruto directly to the Hokage, but her obvious involvement in Jiraiya's actions ruled her out immediately. 

He had known the minute he had entered her office that something wasn't right. She looked tired and sad—qualities he had never seen in her in the many years he had known her. 

"Sasuke," she had said, clutching her necklace in her fist. "I've arranged for you to stay at the inn in light of what happened last night." 

"There's no need Hokage-sama. I can stay in one of the other Uchiha residences." After all he lived in an entire deserted community. There were plenty of empty houses. "Naruto can continue staying with me as well," he said, to show her that he didn't blame him. 

The sudden tensing of her shoulders made him pause. He looked at her suspiciously. 

"Ah—yes," she said. "I'm sure he'll like that." 

The tone of her voice set off warning bells in his mind. 

She'd dismissed him and he'd immediately gone to find Naruto. It had taken a long time to figure out where Iruka lived and when he had finally gotten there the chunnin had informed him that Naruto had left. 

Sasuke's stomach clenched when he realized that if he had been a second later— 

He kicked on the door he had arrived at rather than knocking, as his hands were full. There was no answer and he adjusted Naruto's weight before kicking again. Naruto's silence would have frightened him if he couldn't feel the other man's soft breaths on his neck. He wondered momentarily if he had fallen asleep, but a glimpse of blue irises told him otherwise. 

"Hai, hai! I'm coming!" came a voice from inside. 

The door opened and Sakura stared at them in shock. "What did you do to him?" she hissed at Sasuke, taking in the blood running down Naruto's shoulder. 

Sasuke almost dropped Naruto in surprise at the vehemence in her voice. She had never spoken to him like that. 

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said quietly. "Sasuke didn't do it." 

Sakura heaved a sigh and stepped aside, ushering Sasuke into her house. "Put him on the couch," she said before disappearing into another room. 

Sakura's house was neat, but Sasuke hadn't expected anything different from the pink haired woman. He walked past the foyer and into her living room, surprised at the soft yellows and peach colors that decorated the room. For some reason he had imagined everything in Sakura's house would be pink. 

Sasuke gently laid Naruto onto the couch, sitting on the floor next to him. Naruto had closed his eyes but his uneven breaths told him that he was not sleeping. 

Sakura reappeared, medical supplies in her arms. Dumping the supplies by the floor near the couch she shooed Sasuke out of the way and set to work. She used a pair of scissors to cut Naruto's shirt off, giving her access to two of the injuries. 

"Who did this?" Sakura asked, gently wiping the blood away from the stomach wound. 

"Jiraiya," Sasuke said when Naruto offered no answer. 

"What? Why?" Sakura said, looking between them. 

Naruto finally spoke. "Because it's something that needs to be done." 

"No it isn't," Sasuke said angrily. 

"Yes it _is_, Sasuke," Naruto snapped. "Jiraiya and Tsunade recognize it. Use your eyes for something other than the Sharingan!" 

"Forget it," Sakura said, interrupting what looked like the start of a rather heated argument. "I'm sorry I asked." She placed her hands over the now cleaned stomach wound, and Naruto shivered at the cool feel of her palm on his heated skin. Then the point of contact began to warm as she used her chakra to heal him. 

Sasuke and Naruto remained silent as she did the same for the other two wounds. Thankfully the pants Kyuubi had put on the night before were loose enough that the leg could be rolled up, saving both Naruto and Sakura any embarrassment. 

As Sakura was finishing the leg wound there was a pop and a puff of smoke and she backed away with a startled scream as a large frog appeared on Naruto's chest. Naruto blinked at the orange face that appeared in his vision. 

Gamakichi looked around, stopping in surprise when his gaze fell on Sasuke. "I thought you _left_ Konoha, kid," he said to Naruto. 

"Long story," Naruto said with a sigh. He sat up and the frog remained exactly where he was, using chakra to stick to Naruto and giving the impression that Naruto had a strange orange growth on his chest. 

"Well, this actually works out well for you," Gamakichi said. "Akatsuki is on the move. They are heading for Konoha as we speak." 

"What?" Sakura said in shock. 

"How far is Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. 

"They should be here by daybreak," Gamakichi informed him. 

"We need to inform Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, gathering her medical supplies and standing. 

Naruto nodded, standing as well. 

"You're actually going to go to her?" Sasuke said, staring hard at Naruto. 

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Relax. She's not going to reach out and strangle me to death with you there watching her like a hawk." 

"Naruto, she ordered you killed," Sasuke said. 

Sakura's jaw dropped. Not only had Jiraiya been the one to do it, Tsunade had ordered it? 

"Sasuke, I'm not getting into this argument with you again. You and I both know why she did it and as much as you don't want to admit it you know that she's only looking out for the good of the village—as am I." Naruto paused before meeting his dark eyes sadly. "If you truly meant what you said about protecting Konoha for me than you would see why it has to be this way." 

Sasuke looked away. 

Sakura stood quietly to the side, recognizing that this conversation had nothing to do with her. Even Gamakichi, although he remained attached to Naruto's chest, stayed quiet. 

Sasuke finally looked up. "Let's go warn Tsunade about Akatsuki."

* * *

A/N: In the home stretch. Not many chapters left. 

To everyone: Thanks so much for your support and I'm sincerely happy that you're enjoying this. 


	14. Of Hokages and Memories

When Jiraiya walked into her office, Tsunade's hand instinctively flew to her necklace, squeezing it so tightly that it was digging painfully into her palm. He walked over to her desk, flopping tiredly into the seat in front of it.

"Sasuke stopped me," he finally said.

Tsunade sighed in both frustration and relief.

"But Naruto wanted me to," Jiraiya continued. "He understood."

"He shouldn't have to understand. This shouldn't be an issue. It isn't fair," Tsunade said, gazing out the window.

Three poofs sounded and Tsunade and Jiraiya found themselves looking at the former team seven.

Naruto had no shirt on and Jiraiya averted his eyes from the two thick scars that were visible on his stomach and torso. Sakura stood next to him, nervously looking at the two seated sannin. It was obvious that she had been informed of what had happened and was clearly troubled by it. Sasuke stood on Naruto's other side glaring darkly at them both. The 'if looks could kill' cliché instantly popped into Tsunade's mind as the vicious black eyes settled on her.

"Akatsuki is coming," Naruto said, breaking the tense silence that had overtaken the room.

"How do you know?" Tsunade asked, choosing to follow the young man's lead and ignore the fact that she had just ordered him killed earlier that night.

"Gamakichi."

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "How long before they are here?"

"Dawn," Naruto said.

Pushing aside the dread that threatened to well up inside her, Tsunade quickly flew into Hokage mode. "Alright, we need to ready the village. Sakura, gather chuunin and send them through the village. Get the villagers into the caves." Sakura nodded and disappeared; glad to have something to do.

"Jiraiya, send all jounin to the meeting room for debriefing, then warn the guards to be on the lookout for any suspicious movement." The sannin was gone in a poof.

"Sasuke, do the same with the Anbu." Sasuke didn't move, casting a glance at Naruto.

Tsunade saw this. "Naruto will join you in five minutes," she said, realizing her Anbu captain didn't want to leave Naruto alone with her.

Naruto met Sasuke's gaze, firmly telling him to go without words. Finally, Sasuke disappeared.

A thick silence settled over the room.

"Naruto," Tsunade began. "I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize. You made a decision to protect the village. I would have done the same."

Tsunade's rested her forehead against her left hand, her fingers momentarily blocking her eyes from view. She then stood, walking around her desk to stand in front of him. Reaching her hands up she pulled her necklace over her head.

"This is yours," she said, holding it out to him.

Naruto shook his head. "Save it for your successor."

"Why do you think I'm giving it to you?"

"You stupid old hag, I can't protect Konoha," Naruto said in exasperation, accompanying his statement with a roll of his eyes.

"Shut up you stubborn brat. According to Jiraiya, you were willing to give your life to protect Konoha. That certainly sounds like a Hokage to me," Tsunade said, the necklace still dangling from her outstretched hand. "And seeing as I am the Hokage and I have the final say in, well, everything, I'm telling you to put on the damn necklace before I kick your ass." She grabbed his hand, thrusting the necklace into it. "Anyone who succeeds me who isn't you, _Rokudaime_, will be the seventh, not the sixth."

Naruto gaped at her, the necklace hanging loosely in his fingers.

Tsunade reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Go ahead," she said quietly.

He looked down at the necklace and back at her before lifting it with now shaking hands and sliding it over his head until it rested around his neck.

"Now, I want you to go talk to Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou and see if they are willing to help us," Tsunade said with a smile. "But I would go find Sasuke first so he doesn't barge back in here, Chidori blazing."

* * *

Sasuke hated having to retrieve Neji for missions. 

The Hyuuga community was surprisingly similar to the Uchiha's-the difference of course being that the Hyuuga community was teeming with life, even at ten at night, while the Uchiha compound had been silent and unmoving for over fifteen years.

It was a cruel reminder of things that could have been.

He stalked through the courtyard towards the main house, ignoring the inquisitive pupil-less stares that were directed his way. He knocked sharply on the door.

Light footfalls behind him caused him to turn to see Naruto approaching him, ignoring the fierce gazes of the Hyuuga's who recognized him.

"I figured I'd let you know I made it out of Tsunade-baba's office alive," he said when he had reached Sasuke.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, his eyes immediately falling on the necklace that hung around his Naruto's neck.

Naruto gave a slight smile and a shrug. "Proof that the old hag's lost her mind," he said.

Before Sasuke could ask for clarification the door behind him opened.

"Uchiha-san?" a soft voice said. "Are you looking for Neji-niisan?"

Sasuke turned and looked down at Hinata, nodding at the petite woman.

When Sasuke moved, however, Hinata's face lit up into a brilliant blush as she saw Naruto standing behind him, wearing hip hugging pants and no shirt.

"N-naruto-kun!" she said, her stutter resurfacing for the first time in years.

Sasuke smirked as he watched a bright smile stretch across Naruto's face. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

"Sasuke," a deep voice spoke. Neji appeared suddenly behind his cousin who quickly moved out of the doorframe. "Do we have a mission?"

"Emergency meeting," Sasuke said. His gaze flickered to Hinata, who was still blushing, then to Naruto, who was still grinning happily. "Do you have a shirt Naruto can borrow?" he asked, amused. "He's embarrassing your cousin."

Neji looked down at Hinata. Her cheeks had reddened even more at Sasuke's comment and she now looked positively mortified. The stoic Hyuuga genius looked then to Naruto, who was now glaring sourly at Sasuke, and back to Sasuke, who either didn't notice Naruto's glare or was choosing to ignore it. Neji resisted the urge to grin. Instead he nodded and turned, disappearing into the house to procure Naruto a shirt.

* * *

"What the hell was that for, Sasuke?" Naruto asked as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop towards Sasuke's next destination. 

Sasuke glanced at the man next to him. Naruto was now wearing a long sleeved black shirt and, combined with the black pants, he blended into the night quite well, except for his shockingly red hair. "What?"

"You didn't have to embarrass Hinata-chan in front of Neji."

"She'll be fine," Sasuke said.

Naruto stopped running, surprising Sasuke, who also skidded to a stop.

"Sasuke, Hinata is an important friend to me. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

_'I may appear strong to you, but that's because I act all tough because I'm so frustrated from always failing.' _

'That's not true. Even when you always fail…you have the strength to get back up. I believe that is what true strength is. I-I think you are an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun.'

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. He couldn't picture Naruto ever not believing in himself. He was always self confident, obnoxiously so when they were young.

"Listen," Naruto said, changing the subject. "Tsunade-baba asked me to talk to Gaara and find out if they are willing to fight with us. I'll see you at the meeting."

"Naruto, wait," Sasuke said. "I'm sorry about Hinata. I didn't mean to upset her." He hesitated before continuing. "I know you're upset with me for not letting Jiraiya-" he trailed off.

Naruto patiently waited for him to continue, knowing the dark haired man wasn't finished.

"I know what it feels like to watch you die. I'm just not ready to do that that again." Sasuke's looked at the ground. "And I can't be the one to…it's selfish, I know, but-"

"I understand," Naruto said. "It was unfair of me to let to ask something like that of you. But you need to realize that my greatest fear is that I will destroy Konoha, that, with my own hands, I'll kill you and all of my friends. I will die to protect this village. There's no greater honor I could think of. I understand that you can't do it yourself, but please, when the time comes, respect me enough to not stop it from happening."

"Why are you allowed to protect us but I can't protect you?" he finally said.

Naruto sighed. "I don't suppose a simple, 'because I said so' would be an acceptable answer, would it?"

Sasuke knew that if Naruto was gone, he would be truly alone. He had no one else. But Sasuke would not be selfish. He gave Naruto a weak smile. "I suppose it will have to be, Hokage-sama."

Naruto's blue eyes widened. "How-"

Sasuke reached over, tugging gently on his necklace.

"I knew you would do it," Sasuke said smugly. "I'll see you at the meeting." He turned and leapt from the roof.

With a faint smile and a shake of his head Naruto tucked Tsunade's necklace into Neji's shirt before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

The meeting hall was full of jounin and Anbu. A few chuunin were scattered throughout the room, but many were still in the village seeing that all the villagers made it to the caves. 

Tsunade smiled when she saw the door at the back of the room open and Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou enter. Their presence meant that they had agreed to help and she couldn't be more thankful. Her smile faded slightly when she noticed that Naruto was not with the sand siblings. Glancing over to Sasuke, who stood in his position slightly to her left, she saw he was frowning. Obviously he was wondering about Naruto's location as well.

Shizune approached her, telling her it was time to start. Tsunade nodded, and began the meeting, still wondering why Naruto was late.

* * *

This far out it was silent. If he looked back towards the village he could see the lights blinking through the trees, but he couldn't hear the bustle of the villagers as Sakura and other chuunin ushered them to the safety of the caves. 

Aside from the gentle glow of the stars it was dark. There was not even enough moonlight for shadows to be cast.

He was sitting close to the memorial, tracing his fingers across the names carved into the black stone. Many names had been added since he had last seen it. He'd almost laughed when he had run his fingers over his own name, recalling a time when he had sworn to Kakashi that he would have his name carved on the monument before Kakashi had explained what it was.

He knew several of the names on the monument, but one in particular surprised him and he jerked his hand back from the cool stone as if it had burnt him.

"You're going to be late for the meeting," a voice behind him said.

"You're the last person who should lecture on lateness, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said.

Kakashi moved closer, standing directly behind the sitting man. "Looking for anyone in particular?"

"Just paying homage to Konoha's heroes." There was a long pause before he continued. "How did Konohamaru die?" he asked quietly.

"A C-class mission that should have been A-class-kind of like your first real mission. He was escorting a woman to the Hidden Grass, but she didn't mention that her brother was trying to kill her for her inheritance. He was ambushed by three jounins. He was only a chuunin but he managed to protect her and kill them." Kaksashi paused. "The wounds he sustained were fatal, though."

Naruto numbly nodded. "I'm sure he was a good ninja."

"He gave his fair share of nosebleeds with your signature move," Kakashi said in a tone that made Naruto believe he was smiling under his mask. "But yes, he was a very good ninja."

Naruto finally stood and turned to look at his former teacher.

"Here," Kakashi said, holding his fist out. In the darkness Naruto could barely see the black cloth hanging from between the jounin's fingers. "I noticed you didn't have yours anymore. I guess you lost it in the fire."

He opened his hand and a leaf hitai-ate rested in his palm, the metal plate blinking in the starlight.

Naruto stared at it before reaching out and carefully taking it. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." He tied it around his forehead the way he had worn it when he was young, leaving his read hair loose.

"Guess we should get to the meeting," Naruto said, reaching down and picking up two objects that had been lying in the grass next to him. Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, but made no comment at Naruto's possession of them.

* * *

Only those at the front of the meeting hall-Tsunade, her advisors, and Sasuke-saw Kakashi stroll in late. Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise she made no acknowledgement of the troublesome jounin and continued explaining Orochimaru's approach and their defense plan without pause. 

Sasuke saw Naruto enter behind their former teacher, a hitai-ate tied around his previously bare forehead. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, taking in the weapons pouch around the red haired man's waist and the shuriken holster strapped to his right thigh. He hadn't had them when they had last parted.

There was something in Naruto's hand as well, but he could not see it as Naruto moved closer to the crowd.

Tsunade finished addressing her shinobi and moved over to Sasuke as the ninja began talking amongst themselves. "Sasuke, assign Anbu to begin patrolling the borders of the village. I want to be informed at any sign of the Akatsuki."

He nodded, stepping into the crowd.

Naruto moved to the back of the room and leaned against the wall. There was nothing to do now but wait for the attack, until then he'd make himself comfortable. He watched Sasuke weave his way through the crowd, pausing now and then to speak to an Anbu, who would nod then disappear.

He closed his eyes after a while, opening them again when he felt Sasuke's familiar presence approaching him.

Sasuke looked him over once, his gaze straying to the sheathed katana in his hand. Naruto held it out to him. "I thought you might want this," he said.

Sasuke took it, looking at Naruto in confusion.

"I had to go get my weapons," Naruto said, by way of explanation. "It took some digging, but I found it by my stuff, all of it unharmed. They were in the living room, so I guess the fire didn't get to them."

Sasuke nodded. "Thanks," he said, strapping the katana to his back.

"I don't know if you still want it, but I also found this," Naruto said. "It's a little charred, but mostly okay."

Sasuke stared momentarily at the fox mask in Naruto's hand. Of all the things he had thought he'd lost in the fire, the mask had upset him the most. The white mask was now slightly blackened on one side where it had come into contact with some flames, making it look as if the fox had two separate personalities.

He slowly took the mask from Naruto, hands clutching each side tightly.

"Funny choice of an animal," Naruto commented when he gave the mask to Sasuke. It was something he'd been wondering about for a while.

"It reminded me of someone," Sasuke said.

* * *

Neji was silently gazing into the thick forest near the northern wall of the village. Without looking he knew that beside him Tenten was doing the same. They were patrolling on the outside of Konoha in the hopes that if they caught sight of the Akatsuki early enough they may be able to keep the battle outside of the village. 

Sasuke had dispatched the Anbu in groups of two in case of an ambush. As long as at least one was able to warn the Hokage, a surprise attack could be prevented.

He and Tenten were often paired together in situations that required two Anbu. They had worked together since they were genin and each knew the other's style as well as their own.

Neji was a natural loner and preferred working by himself but, although he would never say it out loud, Tenten was the only partner he liked. She was a strong fighter and skilled shinobi, plus, she was the only woman he could stand to be around (except perhaps for his cousin). All the other women he knew were so _loud_. Compared to Sakura and Ino, Tenten was absolutely soft spoken. She was also not one for idle chitchat-something most women seemed to find not only entertaining but necessary. It was pleasant for Neji to be able to sit in a comfortable silence with Tenten without worrying about her trying to start up a pointless conversation just for the sake of talking.

Movement in the shadows of the trees near them caught his attention and he instantly summoned the Byakugan.

"How many?" Tenten asked, looking in the direction he had first seen the movement from behind her rabbit mask.

"One, maybe two hundred," Neji said, reaching to the sheath on his right hip and pulling out his long dagger. There was the distant sound of cracking branches as if something large was moving quickly through the forest, ignoring the trees in its way. "And what sounds like one of Orochimaru's trademark giant snakes."

Tenten reached her arms behind her, gripping the hilts of the twin blades strapped to her back.

"No," Neji said, easily catching her movement with the Byakugan. "Warn the Hokage. I'll hold them off."

"Two hundred of them?" Tenten said, her hands remaining wrapped around her weapons. Yes, Neji was the genius of the Hyuuga clan, but even geniuses could be outnumbered. Not that Tenten thought that two hundred to two was any better odds than two hundred to one.

Neji turned to look at her and even though his face was hidden behind his falcon mask she could picture the firm set of his lips and otherwise impassive look that he always wore.

With a sigh she released her grip on her swords, pulling her hands in front of her in a seal. "I'll be right back," she said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Hokage-sama!" Tenten said the moment she appeared in the meeting hall. All talk stopped at her outburst and the eyes of everyone in the room were on her as she said, "One hundred to two hundred men and at least one snake out side the northern wall!"

Tsunade nodded grimly and Tenten immediately disappeared. Tsunade was about to dispatch shinobi to the northern wall when another Anbu appeared.

"Hokage-sama, at least one hundred men are attacking the eastern wall," he said before disappearing as quickly as Tenten. Neither Anbu was going to allow their partner to fight alone until reinforcements arrived.

Tsunade didn't waste any time. She started with shinobi that could handle numbers first. "Lee, Chouji, Temari, Kankurou-go to the northern wall."

"Hai!" Lee and Chouji said. Kankurou and Temari nodded and all four were gone in the next instant.

"Naruto, Gaara, Kakashi, Gai-to the eastern wall."

Sasuke watched as the other three disappeared in puffs of smoke without a word. Naruto sent him a small smile before exiting quickly out the door.

Shino, Ino, and seventy-five other's were sent to help those at the north, while Kiba and at least fifty more went to where Naruto was headed at the eastern border.

Sasuke frowned. Why hadn't Naruto teleported?

Sudden realization hit him. Naruto still had the five point seal on; his chakra was useless to him.

"Sasuke," Tsunade said. Sasuke looked up to see the woman standing right in front of him.

"Naruto still has the seal on," he said.

She looked at him in surprise. "I know," she told him.

"He can't use chakra that way, how is he supposed to fight in a battle?"

"I sent Gaara with him," she said.

Of course, Sasuke realized. Gaara could remove the seal, and he was protective of Naruto. He would be okay. He nodded.

Tsunade continued with her reason for addressing him in the first place. "I don't want to send out anymore shinobi until we are sure there is no attack from the west or south. Go to your Anbu patrolling there and make sure there is no threat."

Sasuke nodded and was about to leave when she continued. "Take Hinata. With the Sharingan and the Byakugan both looking you won't miss anything."

It was then he noticed the small woman standing behind the Hokage.

"Let's go," he said to her, not waiting for an answer as he disappeared.

* * *

A/N: Forgive me for the long wait. I actually had to do some work last week, midterm papers and the like. Unfortunately college students do occasionally have to write things other than fanfiction. 

As I was flying home for spring break the flight attendants were explaining how the seat cushions could be used as a floatation device, and the first thing that came to my mind was that if we crashed in the water I would have lost this entire chapter. Priorities, eh?


	15. Of Battles

Only moments after Tenten had left, Akatsuki members swarmed out of the forest at Neji. As he struggled to fend off the sheer quantity of people attacking, he couldn't help but think that for the genius of the Hyuuga clan, the decision to try and fight off so many people alone had been rather stupid. 

But he'd had no choice. If he had gone with Tenten to warn the Hokage it would have been an open invitation for Akatsuki to enter Konoha.

He was surrounded now—he didn't need the Byakugan to tell him that. Neji slashed though an attacker on his right with his dagger before spinning quickly, his long raven hair flying through the air at the momentum. He stopped the chakra flow to the arms of a man behind him with his unoccupied hand, stabbing another with his dagger.

He moved quickly, never keeping his back to anyone for too long, trying to keep the ever-closing circle of attackers at bay.

With the Byakugan he could see a man behind him and slightly to his left lifting a kunai to stab him. Grabbing the surprised ninja in front of him, he spun around. The Akatsuki member stabbed his own comrade and Neji shoved his now limp human shield into him, knocking him off balance. He didn't bother turning as a man rushed him from the right, instead just sticking his dagger out at the last moment, allowing the man to impale himself. He unceremoniously ripped the dagger from the shinobi's chest and ignored the blood that splattered across his clothes.

Pain suddenly ripped through his back and the shock of it sent him to his knees. He caught himself with his hands, preventing his face from meeting the dirt. Turning his head he could see a kunai imbedded near his shoulder blade.

He had not seen the kunai coming, which either meant that someone had gotten lucky and found his blind spot, or someone knew about it.

When he had gone down the circle of men stopped attacking. Several of them dispersed, and Neji could see that behind him Akatsuki members had begun scaling the wall, using their chakra to stick to it as they walked vertically up it.

The remaining men around him shifted and a ninja stepped into the center, standing behind him. He wore a wide grin and hitai-ate with a horizontal scratch through the symbol of the cloud. His black hair was tied in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck and his chin was covered with a small goatee.

"Hyuuga-san," he said, and Neji turned his head to him in surprise. With his Anbu mask on, the trademark eyes of his clan were hidden from view. How did he know he was a Hyuuga?

"At least," the man said, running a hand over his goatee. "I'm assuming you are one of the Hyuuga clan. The Gentle Fist style that you fight in and the ability to know what's happening behind you would indicate that."

The ninja circled Neji, remaining a good distance away from him. One swipe with his dagger or his other hand full of chakra would likely be the end of him. The Hyuuga was down, but to count him out would be a gross error in judgment.

"So which are you?" the cloud ninja said curiously. "You're too young to be Hiashi. You're a male so you're obviously not Hinata or Hanabi." He paused, thinking. "Perhaps—are you Neji?"

Neji didn't respond and he managed to keep his surprised reigned in. How did a cloud nin know so much about his clan?

As if he could hear the question in Neji's thoughts, the man spoke. "I've been studying the Hyuuga for quite some time. My village was very interested in the secret of the Byakugan. My father even gave his life for the cause, trying to kidnap the oldest daughter of the main family. Your uncle killed him."

In an instant Neji understood who this man was. The son of the Cloud's leader, who had attempted to kidnap Hinata when she was a child.

"I finally figured out the switch Konoha pulled on us. I suppose we have that in common—father's giving their lives for the greater good."

Neji's fists clenched, his right hand tightening around the hilt of his dagger, while his left ended up grabbing a handful of dirt as he slowly rose to his feet. Dropping the dirt, he reached over his shoulder and wrenched the kunai from his back, tossing it to the ground with a thunk. This man's father was responsible for his own father's death.

Sudden screams from behind him drew his attention to the wall, which Tenten now stood on top of, tossing kunai after kunai down at those walking up it. In all the years Neji had fought with her he never discovered where she managed to hide all of those weapons, but she was never lacking them. She hadn't even bothered to summon any with a scroll yet.

The cloud ninja had slipped from the center of the circle when Neji had stood. The ninjas still surrounding him began to tighten the diameter of their circle. They all held some type of weapon, from kunai to katana.

Neji could clearly see the grinning Cloud shinobi as the circle suddenly rushed at him. His perceptive eyes also didn't miss the look of shock on his face as he created a sudden flare of chakra, which surrounded him like a dome, knocking all thrown weapons and several of the men away.

Those still surrounding him readied themselves for another attack. Neji was becoming impatient. He did not want to fight these men. Both he and the former Cloud shinobi had grudges that could only be settled by fighting one another. Yes, Neji had nothing to do with this man's father's death, nor did the Cloud shinobi have anything to do with the death of his own father. But each man represented the reason why the other was fatherless and for that, Neji was going to kill him.

"Neji, my rival!" a loud voice called as two of the ninjas around him were suddenly slammed together with enough intensity to instantly knock them out.

Lee stood proudly above the two crumpled bodies, giving him a thumbs up and a gleaming grin. "Why should you get all the fun?"

Only years of practice kept Neji from rolling his eyes, although with his Anbu mask still on it wasn't necessary.

Neji heard the sound of fighting and realized that Chouji, Temari, and Kankurou had also arrived. Snickers drew his attention back to the men surrounding him and he realized that they were laughing at Lee.

It wasn't the first time people had underestimated Lee based on his looks. His bowl cut, large eyebrows, and outfit made entirely of green spandex did present quite the goofy picture, however, Neji knew that he was not a man to be trifled with.

"Neji!" Lee boomed. "You deal with that one." He pointed to the cloud nin. "I'll take care of the rest!"

Neji blinked. Lee was also quite observant when he wanted to be.

Several laughs went up around the circle. "You wish, freak!" someone said.

If it was possible, Lee's wide grin grew even bigger. "Your words are borne of jealousy. I understand my friends!" Lee said, giving the man next to him no time to react as he threw his leg out in a kick and knocked him several feet away.

Angrily, the circle around Neji shifted, creating a new circle around Lee, who was jumping from foot to foot enthusiastically.

"Well, Neji-kun, looks like it's just us for now," the former Cloud nin said. "But I rather prefer it that way, don't you?"

With his Byakugan Neji saw as other Konoha ninja's arrived. Confident in his comrades' abilities to hold the Akatsuki off while he fought this man, he turned his attention back to his opponent.

* * *

There had been no one but the two Anbu at the southern boarder when Sasuke and Hinata had checked it. Neither the Sharingan not the Byakugan saw anything out of the ordinary. Certain that no attack was coming from the south, Sasuke sent his Anbu back to the Hokage.

The Anbu on the western border said the same as the southern. No suspicious movement or activity. Taking a quick glance around with the Sharingan, Sasuke saw nothing out of the ordinary and sent those Anbu back to the tower as well.

When they were gone he glanced down at Hinata, who was scanning the nearby woods with Byakugan. Sasuke was glad that the Sharingan only changed the color of his eyes rather than raising the blood vessels around them. Hinata's eyes presented a slightly frightening picture.

"Uchiha-san," Hinata said softly, pale eyes never leaving the forest. "I can see a chakra signature out there. It could just be a big animal—but it could be someone trying to mask their chakra."

Instantly the Sharingan was back in place and Sasuke scanned the forest again. He could not see chakra like Hinata, but if there were movement he would be able to detect it.

"Is it moving?" he asked.

"No, it's completely still," she informed him.

"Not exactly animal behavior is it?"

"No," she said with a slight shake of her head.

"Is there only one?" he asked.

"Just one in my range of vision."

"I'll go check it out," Sasuke said. "You go back to the tower and get a few Anbu over here."

"With all due respect, Uchiha-san, you can't see him. You could be ambushed if you go alone," Hinata said.

His look of surprise was hidden behind his mask. She had always seemed too timid to refuse an order—especially from the captain of the Anbu. He was impressed.

"We don't know what's out there," he said. "I'm not sending a chuunin to investigate on her own, even if you can see it."

"Perhaps we should go together then?" she suggested, still not removing her eyes from the chakra in the forest.

Sasuke thought for a moment before nodding. Hinata didn't need to look at him to see the movement and she began walking towards the forest with Sasuke trailing her.

* * *

"Kakashi, my rival!" Gai called over the noise of the battle. He slammed his fist into an attacker's head, causing him to fall to the ground in an unconscious heap. "That was nine for me!"

Kakashi tossed a kunai with both his left and right hand, the men charging him from either side falling dead before reaching him. "Numbers sixteen and seventeen," Kakashi calmly told him, knowing that if he didn't give Gai the number, the other man would just keep harassing him.

"Ah!" Gai cried. "You are a worthy rival! If you defeat me I shall do three hundred one handed push-ups!"

Kakashi's visible eye rolled as he blocked a punch from an enemy and brought his knee up to connect painfully between his attackers legs. The man fell to his knees and Kakashi knocked him out with the blunt end of his kunai.

A distance away was Gaara, who hadn't moved from his position since they'd teleported to the eastern border. He made easy work of the ninjas around him, crushing them with his sand. He looked almost bored and, not for the first time, Kakashi was glad that the red haired man was an ally rather than an enemy.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the Anbu fall, a kunai imbedded in her neck.

He noticed almost too late that he was being slowly backed towards the large stone wall that separated the battle from the village. He began to try and push forward, aiming mostly for the attackers directly in front of him to create an opening for him to move through.

Many of the attackers were ignoring him, Gai, Gaara, and the remaining Anbu, simply trying to get around them and climb the wall into the village.

Kakashi ducked as a sword swung through the air, slicing the space his neck had been in moments before. Throwing out his leg from his crouched position, he kicked the swordsman's legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground.

Standing and looking back to the wall, Kakashi tried to figure out how to stop those walking up. He spun, catching the kunai that had been headed towards his head.

He pulled his hitai-ate up to rest across his forehead, revealing the red Sharingan eye that usually remained hidden. There were simply too many people for four men to hold off. He couldn't prevent the wall from being breached without dividing his attention and ending up with his head cut off or a kunai in him.

There was a scream behind him and Kakashi turned in time to see one of the men fall from the wall, a kunai in his chest. Another two fell and Kakashi saw Naruto standing calmly on top of the wall, throwing weapons down and knocking the invaders easily from the wall.

A loud pop sounded and suddenly a huge group of Konoha shinobi appeared, jumping directly into the fray.

A man rushed at Kakashi, kunai raised, and wound up with an elbow in the face. The Akatsuki member fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Very hip move, Kakashi!" Gai cried, using one of his long green clad legs to high kick an enemy in the head, knocking him out. He laughed loudly. "Seventeen!"

* * *

Tenten had no difficulties picking off the people who were attempting to climb the wall. Her accuracy had been one hundred percent since she was a genin.

Several kunai suddenly came whizzing at her and she back flipped out of the way, channeling chakra to her hands and feet to remain on the wall. Righting herself, she immediately hit two more wall climbers.

A gust of wind next to her caused her to look to her left. Her Anbu mask hid her surprise.

Temari stood slightly near her on the wall with her back to Tenten and her large fan open so one purple circle was showing. Tenten saw several kunai, shuriken, and daggers fall through the air to land heavily on the ground.

"Standing up here makes you a nice target," Temari said, her eyes scanning the battle below them.

Tenten threw three kunai with one hand. They parted in midair and each hit a different target, knocking three men from the wall simultaneously.

"Let's just hope that none of the Akatsuki has aim like mine then," she said, her voice icy.

Ever since their first chuunin exam Tenten didn't care much for Temari. Tenten was a proud person and the loss she had suffered against Temari had been a major wound to her pride. On Temari's few visits to Konoha since then, the blonde woman had picked up on Tenten's dislike and now the two of them had something of a small rivalry—despite the fact that they had not fought since the exam.

Tenten saw a barrage of weapons suddenly burst from the crowd below. Kunai, daggers, scythes, maces, shuriken, and flails sped towards them. Temari opened her fan so two purple dots were showing, then hefted the heavy weapon, leaping closer to Tenten and swinging it.

The oncoming weapons aimed for Tenten were easily pushed away by the subsequent wind, falling haphazardly through the air and out of sight.

"Looks like there is a weapons master down there somewhere," Temari said.

Tenten nodded, ignoring the fact that Temari had just protected her and knocking a few more men from the wall with shuriken. She began scanning the crowd.

"That many weapons had to have been summoned," Tenten said, looking for someone with a scroll. Her gaze finally fell on a man not far from the wall. There was a used scroll at his feet and he was pulling another from the pouch around his waist.

"There you are," she muttered, reaching behind her. Her hand landed on the hilt of her rarely used weapon, tugging it from it's resting place within the waist of her pants.

There was a rustling of chain and Temari looked over at Tenten, surprised to see her holding a weapon that looked like a scythe, but with a short handle that fit easily in Tenten's hand. The handle was attached to a very long chain.

She looked from the slightly large weapon to Tenten, trying to figure out how the weapon master had kept it hidden from sight.

"Where do you hide all these weapons?" she asked incredulously, watching as two kunai were launched from Tenten's free hand to stop two more men on the wall.

Tenten's rabbit mask turned towards her and Temari could almost see the grin that was probably on her face. "Lots of pockets," she said.

Tenten slid the chain of the scythe-like weapon across her palm, closing her fingers around it in a strong grip. She began to twirl the weapon at her side, reminding Temari of the spinning of an electric fan.

Once the weapon was spinning at an extremely fast momentum, Tenten moved her arm forward and loosened her fingers, allowing the chain to move easily through her grip. The weapon sped towards the weapon master on the ground.

Looking up, the Akatsuki member saw the scythe flying towards him and leapt above it, landing safely on the ground as it sped past him.

"You missed," Temari said, flatly.

Tenten said nothing, abruptly tightening her grip on the chain and yanking it back towards her. The sharp weapon changed direction, flying back towards her and slicing violently through the weapon master, who had landed in its path after he'd dodged.

The scythe spun back up to Tenten like a boomerang. She grabbed the handle, catching the flying weapon above her head. The chain rattled loudly as its momentum was cut short.

"I don't miss," Tenten said, lowering her arm. With a flick of her wrist she flung the blood from its blade before placing it back into its original position near the small of her back.

"Only when you're fighting me, then?" Temari said, a smirk on her features.

Tenten suddenly flung a kunai in her direction and her eyes widened in shock. She had no room to dodge and no time to swing her fan.

The kunai flew by her, and she heard a metallic click by her ear. Looking to the side she watched as Tenten's kunai fell to the ground with another, having stopped it from hitting her in the neck.

"Only when I'm fighting you," Tenten echoed, returning her attention to the wall.

* * *

Sasuke and Hinata made their way silently through the forest. The one comfort Sasuke had was if he couldn't see the target it was unlikely it could see them.

Hinata pulled to a sudden stop, looking around with a furrowed brow. "There are two more," she whispered so softly that Sasuke had to strain to hear her.

"Three total?" he asked just as quietly.

She nodded. "Definitely shinobi," Hinata said. "The two are moving in a standard cover formation. The first one still hasn't moved."

"Bait," Sasuke said.

"He's moving now, headed this way fast," she said urgently.

Sasuke unsheathed his katana in a flash. "Where?" he asked. He didn't bother being quiet anymore; their position was obviously known.

"To your left," she informed him.

Sasuke turned just as a ninja burst from behind the trees, brandishing an extremely large broadsword. His beefy arms raised the sword above his head, preparing to slash down at Sasuke. Realizing that it would be impossible to stop the momentum of a sword that big with his own katana, Sasuke dove out of the way. The sword buried itself in the ground Sasuke had just stood on.

Sasuke stood, but froze when he noticed the man's hitai-ate. The metal plate was not slashed and depicted a single music note. A member of the Sound. After the apparent death of Orochimaru the Hidden Village of the Sound had signed a peace agreement with Konoha. But here was a member obviously fighting against them with no mark of the Akatsuki.

The sound ninja had looked up after missing Sasuke, catching sight of Hinata, whose back was to him as she tracked the progress of the other two ninjas. Sasuke saw what was happening too late as the ninja raised his sword and swung at Hinata's back. He rushed forward to help but knew he wouldn't make it in time.

The huge sword hit a dome of chakra that suddenly surrounded Hinata. Both the sound nin and Sasuke gaped at her in surprise.

Hinata turned to her attacker, an elegant eyebrow raised. "It's not nice to attack someone whose back is turned," she said.

She moved at him with a speed Sasuke couldn't follow without his Sharingan and appeared before him, resting each of her hands gently on his arms before reaching up and patting him on the chest.

"Get the hell away from me you pupil-less freak," the sound shinobi said, reaching out his free hand to roughly push her away. Both he and Sasuke were surprised again when she easily dodged the attack, winding up a few feet away from him.

"I'm going to kill you," the sound nin growled.

Hinata ignored him, walking by him as she headed to where Sasuke stood. Behind her Sasuke watched as the man's face changed rapidly from anger to pain. His free hand flew to his heart, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

"You bitch!" he screamed. "What did you do?" He took hold of his sword with both hands and went to lift it, only finding that his arms didn't have the strength. Sasuke watched as the man doubled over, coughing violently. Flecks of blood flew from his mouth. The sound nin fell to the ground, wheezing.

Sasuke stared at Hinata from behind his fox mask, although he assumed that with the Byakugan still activated she could see his incredulous face.

"Neji-niisan has been training me," she said with a shrug.

"Why aren't you a jounin?" Sasuke asked.

"I dislike confrontations," her soft voice said. A tiny smile played on her lips. "The other two are almost here. They've split up—one on our right, the other on the left."

It was quiet as they waited. Sasuke summoned the Sharingan, searching for the sign of any movement. He could hear nothing but his and Hinata's breathing, and he was beginning to wonder if the sound ninjas had something to do with that. He'd spent enough time in the village to know that several ninjas there had the ability to mask the sounds they didn't want heard.

"Above you," Hinata said.

Sasuke looked up and caught sight of a nin crouching on a tree branch. The ninja stood, smirking down at them. "Those are some eyes you have, honey," he said to Hinata, who made no acknowledgement that she heard him. His gaze roamed the forest, landing on his comrade who now lay dead on the ground.

An eyebrow rose. "And which of you two did that?" he asked, not appearing upset at the loss.

"I did," Hinata said, in a voice that was louder and clearer than Sasuke was used to hearing from her. She was looking defiantly up at the sound shinobi.

Sasuke caught movement from the corner of his eye and leaned back, allowing several metal needles fly by his face. If he hadn't had his mask on he was sure he would have felt a small breeze from the thin weapons.

A shinobi stepped out of the shadows to their right, revealing himself. "This one's eyes don't seem bad either." Several throwing needles were between his fingers, ready to be launched at a moments notice.

"I want her," the man in the tree said, leaping down and landing gracefully in front of Hinata, several yards away. His head protector sat lopsided on his forehead, covering his right eye, but his left was roving over Hinata in a way that made even Sasuke uncomfortable. A predatory grin was stretched across his face.

"Then I guess this one's mine," the other sound ninja said, nodding at Sasuke.

And then the two charged their targets.

* * *

It had been quite a long time since Naruto had fought only using taijutsu. Even then it had just been for training. He'd never gone into battle without the use of chakra.

It had finally reached dawn, and the sun was rising right in front of them as they defended the eastern boarder. He continued knocking invaders from the wall, glad that it was wide enough to allow for balance without needing chakra to remain standing on top of it.

Naruto looked up suddenly, his head moving back and forth as he concentrated. The normal sounds of battle could be heard, but he was sensing something else. When he'd determined the direction he looked towards the edge of the forest, where the sun illuminated a tall figure standing alone, watching the battle silently. Long white hair whipped in the wind, as Orochimaru stood in Kabuto's body, happily admiring his handiwork.

This wasn't right though. He stood alone but what had caught Naruto's attention in the first place was the large amount of chakra signatures that had appeared. It felt as though there were at least two hundred. If that was the case they were grossly outnumbered. Tsunade hadn't sent as many men to this boarder because the larger threat had appeared to be at the north.

As the sun rose higher Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't been mistaken. The chakra signatures were indeed there.

Behind Orochimaru stood hundreds of Sound Shinobi, previously hidden in the shadows of the forest. With a loud cry they joined the battle.

* * *

A/N: Anyone who watches Inuyasha recognize Tenten's weapon? It's what Kohaku uses. I just had to have it in here because I think it's awesome.

Forgive me again for the long update wait, I got called for jury duty. How insane is that? I got put on a three-day criminal case. Needless to say I kind of had to pay attention, so writing fanfiction instead of taking notes wasn't really an option.


	16. Of Protection

Everything about these sound ninjas oozed confidence. The ninja in front of Hinata also oozed sleaziness. She watched each one carefully before they attacked and neither projected any discomfort, despite the fact that one would be fighting an Anbu. 

The man she was fighting stayed at a distance, which put Hinata at a disadvantage. She couldn't close chakra holes if she couldn't touch him.

"You obviously don't know who you are dealing with," the sound ninja said. A grin stretched across his face and his one visible eye was watching her intently. Hinata didn't answer and he continued. "We're two of the Sound Four. Guards of the North and West gate."

With the Byakugan, Hinata could see Sasuke behind her, eyes wide behind his mask as his head flew around to look at her opponent.

That wasn't encouraging, Hinata decided.

"Hinata," Sasuke said, dodging several throwing needles. "Go back to the tower. Have the Hokage send any Anbu not at the battle."

Hinata frowned. She felt extremely uneasy with the prospect of leaving him alone with those two. "Uchiha-san—"

Both the Sound ninja's stilled. The ninja in front of her suddenly had a manic gleam in his visible eye.

"Uchiha-san?" he said, a smirk on his lips.

Sasuke tensed.

The ninja with the senbon needles laughed as One-eye now ignored Hinata, moving closer to the Anbu. "I was hoping I'd run into you here, Uchiha Sasuke. Now that you aren't Orochimaru-sama's _pet_, I can finally pay you back for this," he said, jabbing his finger at his covered eye.

The sun had begun to rise as the Sound ninja had been talking, and now sunlight was streaming through the branches of the trees that surrounded them, leaving small patches of light along the forest floor. As the Sound shinobi were illuminated, Sasuke wondered how he hadn't recognized the two earlier. His eyes flickered to the ninja Hinata had killed. He was the guard of the South gate, Sasuke realized now that he could see his face. It was lucky he was the first to attack. He was the weakest of the four, and definitely not the brightest.

Sasuke returned his attention to his two enemies, wondering vaguely where the guard of the East gate was, and hoping that he would not have to fight that particular member of the Four.

Through her training with Neji-niisan, Hinata had learned many things, including how to read body language. Sasuke's tense stance spoke volumes. His normal confidence had disappeared.

One-eye pulled out a kunai and suddenly, to Hinata's shock, disappeared from sight. Her head whipped from side to side in search of his chakra, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke sheathed his sword and pulled out a kunai. His opponent's sudden disappearance did not seem to surprise him and he closed his eyes. Hinata watched in amazement as he raised his kunai and blocked—nothing.

The Anbu's stance, however, and the way his arms shook told Hinata that, although Sasuke looked to be blocking air, there was actually something there.

This ninja was masking his chakra from Byakugan.

Sasuke blocked several more invisible jabs, and Hinata watched grimly as a deep gash suddenly appeared along his upper arm.

One-eye had gotten a hit.

Sasuke stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding arm.

He grit his teeth as three senbon imbedded themselves in his back. Hinata glared in the other Sound ninja's direction. That had been a cheap shot. The nin already had six more needles ready to throw, three in each hand.

Sasuke blinked in surprise when Hinata appeared next to him. She spun quickly; creating a dome of chakra was around them that the needles bounced off of harmlessly.

"Hinata," Sasuke said, pulling the only needle he could reach from his back. "Get out of here."

"You can't fight them by yourself," she said, turning and helping him remove the other two senbon.

Sasuke hissed as the needles were pulled out. "You're the most stubborn Hyuuga I've ever met," he said. "And with Neji under my command that's saying something."

A tiny smile appeared on her lips but she chose not to answer, instead saying, "Who are these guys?"

"Nobu," he said, nodding towards the senbon user, "And Takeshi. They're part of the Sound Four. The four best ninja's in the Sound. They're replacements for the ones Shikamaru and the other's killed when they were sent after me when we were twelve, but they're just as powerful and twice as vicious."

"Why can't I see Takeshi or his chakra?"

"He's like a chameleon," Sasuke explained. "He's not invisible, but he can make himself blend in with his surroundings so well that we can't see him. He's also able to completely mask his chakra—I don't know how."

Several senbon flew at them and Hinata spun again, chakra easily protecting them.

"Hiding behind your female, Sasuke-kun?" Takeshi's voice said from a distance in front of them. "After we kill you we're going to have ourselves a good time with her."

"Hinata, go back to the tower," Sasuke said. He was actually worried for her. He could not let anything happen to her.

_'Sasuke, Hinata is an important friend to me. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.'_

She was special to Naruto, and therefore he would protect her from harm.

"I can't," Hinata said, not even giving him her full attention. She was looking towards the sky. She blocked several more of Nobu's senbon.

"That's an order," Sasuke growled.

"No, Uchiha-san. I can't. There's a barrier of chakra around this area of the forest. I can't teleport out."

Sasuke frowned. Well, that explained where the fourth member of the Four was.

"Ready to fight yet, Uchiha?" Takeshi yelled. His voice came from the same position as the first time he had spoken.

Sasuke's eyes flickered to Hinata, who had noticed what he had.

Nobu was behind them, tossing more needles on the chance that Hinata wouldn't notice.

When no shield was erected this time, he grinned triumphantly, until both Hinata and Sasuke dodged the incoming needles, which flew by them. There was a yell of surprise as three needles stopped in midair, having slammed into Takeshi.

Sasuke had unsheathed his sword and leapt towards the three senbon that looked to be suspended in midair. The senbon dove away and they were pulled from Takeshi's body and flung towards Sasuke, who used his sword to block them.

Sasuke swore under his breath. Now his visual was gone. He had to rely on his ears again.

"Don't forget about me," Nobu said, leaping in front of him. Sasuke tightened his grip on his katana, trying to listen for Takeshi's movements without diverting his attention from Nobu.

When he had been with the Sound he had fought the Four often. Orochimaru enjoyed watching his future body battle with his best ninjas. Sasuke had lost to them as much as he had beaten them—and usually they were not permitted to go all out. Orochimaru didn't want his body damaged. And Sasuke had never fought more than one at a time.

Fighting two, no holds barred…

It was a fight he wasn't sure he could win.

Nobu preformed several seals and Sasuke found himself surrounded by six clones. He sheathed his katana and flipped out of the way as Senbon began to fly in all directions. He ignored the pain that shot up his still bleeding arm, trying to avoid any more injuries. It was reminiscent to his fight with Haku years before, but Nobu did not have the speed that Haku and his mirrors had. Also, with his fully developed Sharingan, Sasuke was able to dodge easily.

If he was only fighting Nobu, the fight may have been simple.

He heard Takeshi coming in just enough time to dive out of the way of his attack. He was now out of the circle of Nobus, but they continued to throw needles at him. Sasuke felt two senbon strike his side when he stopped moving to blocked a blow from Takeshi that he'd only known was coming because of his keen hearing.

An invisible hand reached out and Sasuke's fox mask was pulled from his face and tossed into the forest.

"I want to see your pretty-boy face all twisted with pain," Takeshi said, taking another swipe at him that he was barely able to dodge.

Sasuke was completely on the defensive. He didn't even have a chance to pull out a kunai or any other weapon. Several more senbon flew at him and he dodged, feeling several graze his arms and cause small streams of blood to flow from the cuts.

Takeshi put on a sudden burst of speed and, while Sasuke could hear him coming, without being able to see the attack he was unable to block it. He felt the tip of a kunai bury itself into his left shoulder.

There was a loud cry of pain, but it wasn't from him.

Takeshi suddenly flickered into sight for a moment, a kunai deep in his back.

Hinata had had to watch very carefully as Sasuke dodged to follow Takeshi's movement. As soon as he'd gotten the hit on Sasuke, she'd been able to discern where he was, although, she realized that she had taken too long to be of any help to the now badly injured Anbu.

Takeshi had become visible only briefly when he had been hit, but he pulled the kunai from his back and had disappeared from view once more.

Sasuke wrenched the kunai from his shoulder, ignoring the sharp pain it caused. He held the bloody kunai in his hand to use as a weapon in case Takeshi attacked right away.

Nobu had immediately turned and launched several senbon at Hinata after she had hit Takeshi with her kunai. She blocked the needles with her defense of chakra.

When she released the dome of chakra Hinata suddenly found herself choking. She couldn't see but she could certainly feel the arm that was wrapped around her neck, holding her tightly against an invisible body. Her hands gripped the unseen arm, trying to pry it from her neck. She stilled her struggling as a kunai became visible, hovering next to her throat.

Sasuke saw the kunai and made a move to go help her, but stopped when Takeshi's disembodied voice rang through the forest.

"Come any closer and I'll kill her," he said, moving the kunai closer to prove his point.

Sasuke smirked.

"What the hell are you laughing at, Uchiha?" Takeshi asked angrily.

"You should have kept your distance," Sasuke said, his eyes on the small pale hands that were gripping the invisible arm. They were glowing slightly as she shut of the flow of chakra to Takeshi's arm. Hinata's left hand then swiftly moved, grabbing what Sasuke could only assume was Takeshi's wrist, easily pushing the kunai away from her throat and twisting the arm from around her neck.

Hinata kept a firm grip on Takeshi, who had begun to struggle judging by the way her hands were jerking around in midair. She knew if she let him go they would lose track of him again—although most of the chakra holes in his right arm were now closed, as well as the ones in his left wrist.

Nobu tried to use his senbon, hoping that he could get a hit on her because of her distraction. But she turned quickly, using Takeshi's body to block the needles. Her chakra reserve was quickly dwindling and she didn't want to waste anymore creating a shield.

With movements that Sasuke needed the Sharingan to follow, Hinata had relinquished her grip on Takeshi's right arm and slammed a chakra laden fist into what he guessed was Takeshi's stomach.

Finally, Takeshi appeared. He fell to his knees at the hit, his left arm being held in midair by Hinata. Hinata let go of his wrist and he crumpled to the ground.

She moved towards Sasuke, her eyes now focused on the only threat left—Nobu. The sound ninja had closed his eyes, his face grim. She took this for defeat.

Sasuke's eyes were still on Takeshi. Hinata saw this.

"Don't worry about him," Hinata said, releasing the Byakugan to conserve her chakra. "His chakra stream is in chaos right now. He's not going to make it."

"Hinata, can you break through the chakra barrier?" Sasuke asked, his eyes flickering from Takeshi to Nobu.

"Probably, if I'm able to come in direct contact with it."

"Go," he said. "Go now. Get as far away from here as you can and don't come back to help." He never looked at her and without the Byakugan she didn't see what he was looking at until she turned her head.

She gasped. Nobu stood in the same position, black lines appearing on his skin. His hair began to grow longer as they watched, and Hinata swore that it almost appeared sharp, much like the senbon he was so found of throwing.

But if Nobu surprised her, nothing prepared her to see Takeshi, who by all means should have been dead, slowly rising to his feet, wavy black lines crawling along his arms and face.

"We'll take our time with you, Uchiha," Takeshi said, a feral grin spreading across his face. His teeth looked almost like fangs now, Hinata realized.

"Hinata, go. Quickly," Sasuke said, unsheathing his sword.

Hinata turned to argue, unable to fathom leaving him alone to face shinobi this powerful. Her protest died on her lips, however, and she forced herself to bite back a cry of shock, stumbling away from Sasuke.

What looked like black flames similar to the black marks on the Sound ninjas were now covering most of the Anbu's skin and, while the pupils of his eyes were still red from the Sharingan, the whites of his eyes had turned black. Underneath the black flames his face was set in grim determination.

"Run, Hinata. Don't look back," he said.

For the first time, Hinata listened.

* * *

"There's no sign of them," Shikamaru said, glancing around from atop of the western boarder's wall. 

"I sense chakra," Sakura said with a frown. She and Shikamaru had been sent to look for Sasuke and Hinata, who had not returned from scouting the borders.

"Where?" Shikamaru asked. As a medical nin Sakura could easily sense chakra that normal shinobi would miss. He followed her outstretched finger, gazing into the forest outside of Konoha's walls. "Is it them?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's not a person. It's a huge amount though." She leapt from the wall, landing on the ground with grace only a woman could achieve.

"We should go tell Tsunade-sama," Shikamaru called to her.

"You go ahead," she said. "Something isn't right. I'm worried. I'll go check it out." With that she headed towards the forest.

Shikamaru sighed, leaping down and following after her. He couldn't just let her go off to investigate an unknown source of chakra by herself.

Women. So troublesome.

* * *

Neji flipped away as the ground below him exploded, clumps of dirt flying into the air. 

The ex-Cloud ninja had lobbed a kunai with an exploding tag at him, but he easily saw it coming and dodged.

This guy knew his weaknesses, but he wasn't using them to his advantage. He knew exactly where his blind spot was, he knew how Byakugan worked, and he knew to remain out of close range, and still all he was doing was trying to throw exploding kunai at him?

Battles were raging around them as Konoha shinobi fought the Akatsuki, but Neji and this ninja weaved around the others, focused solely on destroying one another.

Neji pulled out several kunai. If he couldn't get close, than at least he could slow this guy down. He let three kunai fly towards his opponent, anticipating the dodge and sending two more immediately after. The Cloud nin managed to avoid all of them but one, which sunk into his thigh. Neji smirked as the ninja fell. He moved forward, planning to end this simply with a gentle fist strike to the heart.

"You depend too much upon those special eyes of yours, Neji-kun," the Cloud nin said, pulling the kunai from his leg and standing, a sudden grin upon his face. "All you Hyuuga do. None of you even consider the possibility of—" He raised his hands, doing several quick seals in succession. Neji tensed. He didn't recognize the seals. "—not being able to see. Kokuangyo no Jutsu!"

Neji stumbled back as the jutsu hit him, looking wildly from side to side.

Nothing.

Everything was in darkness. He could see only himself.

The sounds of the battle raged around him but he could not see what was happening. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his rising panic. He released Byakugan, knowing all it was doing now was wasting chakra.

"What good is a blind Hyuuga?" the Cloud nin's voice said, surprisingly close to his ear.

A fist connected powerfully with his face, knocking his mask off and sending him stumbling backward. The punch was followed swiftly with a kick to his stomach, forcing him to double over. Before Neji could process what was going on a hand grabbed his hair, and what felt like a knee slammed painfully into his face. His hair was released and he fell to all fours, fairly certain that his nose had been broken.

"This is the genius of the Hyuuga clan?" his opponent's mocking voice said.

Neji got to his feet, not bothering to wipe away the blood he could feel trickling from his nose. He listened desperately for signs of the Cloud nin. Another punch to the jaw sent him reeling back.

The noise around him was too great; he couldn't pinpoint his enemy. He hated this. The ninja was right—he depended too much upon his eyes.

The sound of several flying weapons reached his ears and he spun quickly, creating a dome of chakra as a shield.

"Well, at least you aren't completely incompetent," the Cloud nin said. To his right. He was to his right. His right hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his dagger.

Keep him talking, Neji thought. "Unlike your father?" Neji said. "He couldn't even kidnap one helpless little girl."

"Shut up!" the Cloud nin screamed. "At least my father wasn't sent off to his death by his own brother!"

Neji's sightless eyes flashed angrily, but he'd gotten what he needed. He swiftly raised his right arm and his dagger flew from hand. He heard the surprised cry of the Cloud nin and the jutsu was released. Neji blinked as his sight abruptly returned and his attention was quickly focused on his enemy, who had fallen to his knees, Neji's dagger protruding from his stomach.

"How did you know where I was?" the Cloud nin asked, eyes wide.

Neji's pupil-less eyes flickered to the wall, where Tenten stood. He watched as she argued with Temari and sent two kunai over her shoulder without bothering to look at her targets. Two more men fell from the wall. One can't spend fourteen years training and fighting side by side with an expert weapons master and not pick up a few tricks.

Neji looked back at the Cloud nin. "Byakugan," he said, as he stalked towards him.

* * *

Shikamaru and Sakura appeared on the wall of the Northern boarder. Sakura looked around frantically. "There!" she said to Shikamaru, spotting the raven-haired Anbu they had come in search of in the midst of the chaotic fighting. 

Shikamaru nodded and leapt from the wall, Sakura right behind him. They made their way through the battle as swiftly as they could, occasionally fighting off Akatsuki members that attacked them.

"Neji!" Sakura said, when they were within hearing range.

Neji turned at the sound of his name. He reached down and ripped his dagger from the stomach of a bruised Akatsuki member wearing a cloud hitai-ate and flicked the blood from his weapon. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the Hyuuga's obviously broken and bloody nose, but wisely made no comment.

"We need you to come with us," Sakura said. "There's a huge chakra barrier in the woods of the Eastern boarder."

Neji looked uninterested. "My orders are to fight here."

Shikamaru sighed. How troublesome. "Uchiha and Hinata went to ensure that the boarder wasn't under attack and haven't returned. Now there is a large barrier of chakra. We think something may be wrong."

At the mention of his cousin Neji became more attentive. As a member of the branch family it was his responsibility to protect her, not to mention the fact that they had grown to be friends over the years. He would protect her even if it weren't his duty.

"Let's go," he said, disappearing without another word.

* * *

The barrier was humongous, Neji discovered as he looked it over with the Byakugan. Plus, the chakra was continuously flowing, which meant that whoever had created it was concentrating on little else besides maintaining it. That also meant that when he broke it someone would be aware of their presence. 

Shikamaru and Sakura stood on either side of him, waiting for him to make a move.

He channeled his chakra to his hands, slicing through the barrier with ease. Anything made of chakra could be cut with chakra, especially if someone can see what he is cutting.

When the barrier was removed they all could suddenly sense other chakra.

This was the chakra of people, but it was an irregular amount. Neji and Shikamaru exchanged glances and quickly made their way towards what seemed to be a battle. They had felt this type of chakra before.

There was the sudden sound of someone running and the three shinobi tensed, Neji drawing out his dagger in preparation. The petite form of Hinata came barreling into view, skidding to stop when she noticed her comrades.

"Are you okay, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, immediately sheathing his dagger and going to check on her.

Her eyes were wide and she was panting, and he could tell she was low on chakra, but she appeared unhurt. "Uchiha-san—" she said, seemingly unable to come up with the right words.

Both Neji and Hinata's heads suddenly snapped in the direction of the abnormal chakra.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"What was that?" Hinata asked Neji, ignoring the pink haired woman.

"Huge influx of chakra to one of those fighting," Neji said. He hadn't felt chakra of this amount since Naruto had nearly lost control of Kyuubi earlier that week.

"We have to help Uchiha-san," Hinata said. "He can't fight those two alone. They were drawing on some source of power—there were lines all over them." She decided not to mention that Sasuke had similar lines on him as well.

"Lines?" Shikamaru said, his stomach dropping. "Uchiha's fighting Sound ninjas?" He had a feeling these weren't just normal Sound nins either.

Hinata nodded. "They've broken the treaty."

"Sakura," Shikamaru said. "You need to go tell the Hokage. If there are Sound shinobi attacking we do not have enough people at our borders."

Sakura hesitated, looking in the direction Sasuke was, then nodded and disappeared.

"Hinata-sama, you should go back to the tower too," Neji said, looking at his cousin.

"No." She shook her head, a determined gleam in her pale eyes. "I want to help."

"Hinata-sama—"

"Neji," Hinata said briskly. "I'm going to help."

Neji sighed and then nodded. "We need to hurry."

They had only made it a few hundred yards closer to the fight ahead of them when a cloaked figure leapt down from a tree and stood in their path. The person made not a sound as she pulled down the hood of her cloak, revealing a young face and long raven hair that flowed down her back.

"I'm afraid, my friends, that is as far as I can allow you to go," she said, in a soft voice that rivaled the volume of Hinata's. "Sasuke-sama and my comrades are working out a few old issues."

They were surprised at her title for Sasuke, before all three uncomfortably remembered that for three years Sasuke had been something like Sound royalty. Neji and Hinata saw two of the chakra signatures from the fight in the distance suddenly dim as one flared dangerously.

"Which of you broke my barrier?" the Sound ninja asked in her quiet voice.

Neji inclined his head, not bothering to verbally answer. He was too busy watching as the remaining chakra signature moved in their direction.

"Impressive," she said. "Unfortunately, I have to kill you all now."

They all tensed as she raised her hands to perform seals.

"Kimi," a deep voice said.

She paused, smiling slightly. "Sasuke-sama." She looked up to see Sasuke standing in a tree above her.

Neji, Hinata, and Shikamaru were staring up at Sasuke, mouths agape. He was holding a bloody katana loosely in his now clawed hand. He no longer had the black flames over his skin, which was dark brown rather than the pale color they were used to. A short black line ran vertically down his nose, while another one crossed it horizontally, similar to the scar Iruka-sensei had. Once pitch-black hair was now pure white and it had grown longer since they had last seen him. But what really caught their attention, were the thick leathery wings protruding from his back.

"Where are Takeshi and Nobu, Sasuke-sama?" Kimi asked, seemingly unperturbed by his appearance.

"Dead," he answered, a wide grin on his face that showed his newly acquired fangs. His wings twitched, as if itching to fly.

Kimi sighed. "Well, I need to finish our mission."

"And what exactly is your mission?" Sasuke asked with one eyebrow raised.

The trio from Konoha was surprised when Kimi answered without any hesitation. "Infiltrate Konoha and kill the Hokage." There was a pause and she added, "And anyone in my way. Care to help me?" she asked, a grin on her lips.

Sasuke gave a wicked smile and leapt from the tree, wings flapping to allow him to land gracefully in front of Neji, Hinata, and Shikamaru. Neji pulled his dagger from its sheath, standing his ground, but Hinata and Shikamaru took a step back. This amount of chakra—even Shikamaru could feel the unnatural strength that Sasuke was radiating.

His clothes were covered in blood, but in his current state they couldn't tell if it was his or the other Sound ninjas'.

Sasuke's red and black eyes landed on Hinata. "I thought I told you not to come back," he said.

"Why?" Neji spoke up angrily. "Because you didn't want anyone to witness you betraying Konoha? Again?"

Sasuke's eyes slowly moved to Neji. "That's no way to speak to your superior, Hyuuga," Sasuke said. "I just didn't want anyone to witness this." He gestured at his figure.

"Then why rely on that power?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because Nobu and Takeshi would have killed us both," Hinata said, remembering how many times Sasuke had told her to get back to the safety of the tower. "You did it to protect me." She looked at him in questioning. They barely knew each other, why would Sasuke do such a thing?

Sasuke turned his head from her inquiring gaze, his wings twitching. "Naruto wouldn't forgive me if anything happened to you when you were with me. You're an important friend to him."

Hinata's eyes widened and she blushed.

Sasuke turned his back to them, facing Kimi. "Kimi, get out of here, or I'm going to have to kill you," he said calmly.

The young woman appeared thoughtful for a moment, her brow furrowed. Finally she spoke. "I think I'm going to go now," she said, as if Sasuke hadn't just told her to leave and the entire idea was her own.

"Okay then," Sasuke said, sounding for all the world like she was announcing that she was leaving a party.

They watched as she pulled up her hood and leapt into the trees, disappearing from view.

"That was simple," Shikamaru said. Hinata and Neji watched her until she was out of their range of vision, then both released the Byakugan, trying to save their remaining chakra.

Sasuke sheathed his sword and as they watched his wings began to shrink, disappearing until the only evidence they were even there was the two ripped holes in the back of his shirt.

When he turned to face them again he was his old self, black hair, pale skin, and wingless. They were all surprised to see the wounds he had. The long gash along his arm and the shoulder injury were still bleeding, but Hinata noticed he had acquired several others, including two very serious looking wounds in his abdomen and a cut that was extremely close to his neck.

She was surprised to see his fox mask attached to his hip. He had taken the time to go find it.

"Kimi's apathetic to just about everything. Kind of like you," he said to Shikamaru. "It's lucky that she is though. She's stronger than Takeshi and Nobu combined. I sure as hell don't want to fight her."

He turned, preparing to head back to the tower.

Had either Hyuuga been using Byakugan they would have detected Nobu's chakra before he'd had a chance to attack. As it was though, Sasuke only managed to catch movement with the Sharingan, dodging just enough to prevent the hit from killing him instantly.

"Uchiha-san!" Hinata cried out watching in horror as what looked like a huge needle pierced through Sasuke's side. The momentum of the weapon tossed him from his feet, sending him sliding along the ground.

Nobu appeared from where he had been hidden, his left arm draped over a profusely bleeding stomach wound. He was still on level two of his cursed seal, looking more like a demon than a man. He reached his clawed hand to his hair, cutting off a clump of it. It was infused with chakra, Neji and Hinata could see. Then they realized that the hair was actually what had hit Sasuke in the first place. Hair hardened by chakra and used as a spear.

Sasuke struggled to his feet. Shikamaru, Hinata, and Neji grimaced as he pulled the spear from his abdomen. They realized where his other two wounds had come from as he now had a third to match them.

Sasuke swayed unsteadily and fell to one knee.

"This is it, Uchiha," Nobu said, throwing the spear from his hand with massive power.

The spear hurtled at Sasuke, but never made it to him. All four of the men watched in shock as Hinata leapt in front of Sasuke. The spear impaled her right below her ribcage, and the force sent her flying backwards.

Using energy he didn't know he had left, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, catching the young woman before she could hit the ground.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji said, rushing towards them.

"Shit," Shikamaru said, following.

Sasuke looked down at the woman in his arms. "Why did you do that?" he asked, his body numb with shock.

"You're amoreimportant friendto Naruto than I am," she gasped out quietly. "I'd never forgive myself if I didn't protect you for him."

Sasuke's hold tightened. Neji arrived at their sides and Sasuke looked over to Nobu, who was creating another spear of hair. Blind rage began to overtake him, and he gently handed Hinata over to Neji.

Standing, his left hand began to glow blue. Shikamaru and Neji felt their hair began to stand on end at the sheer amount of electricity in the air as Sasuke called on the Chidori.

Nobu recognized the technique and backed away, having never felt Sasuke call a Chidori this powerful in the three years he had trained with the man. The chakra in his hand began to sound like the frantic chirping of birds—the noise escalating until it was painful to listen to the high pitched noise.

Nobu was dead before he even had a chance to consider dodging.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so writing this chapter was like, the greatest undertaking of my life. I had major trouble with Neji's fight scene, among other things. I hope it came out all right. 

The description of Sasuke in level two of the curse seal came directly from the manga. It's in black and white obviously so I'm not completely sure on the colors. I don't know if the episodes have gotten that far, but if they have and I've gotten the colors wrong please let me know so I can fix it.


	17. Of Fear

Naruto grimaced as he pulled a shuriken from his shoulder. When you're not a taijutsu specialist, fighting a battle without chakra was probably not the best of ideas. 

Jumping from the relative safety of the wall and into the fray below was also probably not the best of ideas, but Naruto had never been known for his intelligence.

Konoha shinobi were falling all around him as Akatsuki and Sound members swept through the battle, overtaking the wall and infiltrating the village. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it. There had been no reinforcements since early in the battle, and they were sorely outnumbered.

A Sound nin came at Naruto, swiping at him with a Katana. Naruto ducked under the blade, moving quickly inside the sword wielder's defense and rising to punch him. The Sound nin stumbled back at the blow. He regained his footing and charged Naruto again. This ninja wasn't nearly as skilled as Sasuke and the other Konoha Anbu; he swung fast and wild – there was no control behind his movements.

Naruto pulled out two kunai as his opponent raised his katana above his head, slashing downward. Crossing the kunai, Naruto caught the blade between the two small weapons. He kicked out his leg and pushed the ninja away from him, sparks flying when the sword slid backwards along the kunai.

Naruto tossed one of his kunai at the off-balance man, striking him in the heart and instantly killing him.

A distance away, Orochimaru watched Naruto, a grin stretching across Kabuto's worn face. The young man was relying entirely on taijutsu, and the distinct chakra signature of Kyuubi had all but vanished.

"Orochimaru-sama," a soft voice said suddenly, from his side.

Turning, he watched as his cloaked subordinate straightened from a bow.

"Kimi," he acknowledged, "The Hokage is dead?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama."

Snake-like eyes turned sharply to stare at her.

"Sasuke-sama wasn't in the mood to play," she said, either ignorant to, or simply ignoring, the sudden anger radiating from her master.

"Nobu and Takeshi?" he asked.

"Dead, Orochimaru-sama." From under her hood, Kimi's head turned to face him. "Shall I still go kill the Hokage?"

He shook his head, watching Naruto as he killed two more Sound ninja. "It won't be possible for only one of you. Besides, Kimi," Orochimaru said, as Naruto caught two kunai and sent them flying back at their thrower, "I have a new mission for you."

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" 

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune looked up from the map of Konoha that was laid out in front of them. They had been discussing defensive tactics when Sakura had teleported into the hall where a large number of ninja were anxiously waiting for Sasuke and Hinata's report before they could be dispatched.

"Sound has broken their alliance," Sakura told the Hokage. Her hands clutched the edge of her chunnin vest, anxiously twisting the material. She wondered if Sasuke was okay, and she was worried for her friends fighting at the borders.

"What?" Shizune blurted in shock.

"Sasuke and Hinata were attacked by two Sound nins on the western border."

Tsunade leapt to action. "Genma!"

The bandana-ed ninja to her left straightened, pulling the toothpick he'd been chewing on from his mouth. "Go to the eastern border and report back with the numbers of the enemy. Kotetsu," she said, now addressing the man next to Genma. "Go to the northern border and do the same."

The ninja's were gone, reappearing moments later.

"Tsunade-sama," Genma said, his eyes wide. "There are at least two hundred Sound ninja aiding the Akatsuki at the eastern border. Many have already infiltrated the village."

Tsunade grimaced. She had waited too long. Quickly, she dispatched a large force of shinobi, hoping it wasn't too late.

"Hokage-sama," Genma said when she was done, "Orochimaru is there as well."

Jiraiya began to perform seals, ready to teleport immediately to the border.

Tsunade's hand shot out, clamping tightly onto the back of his shirt. "You will stay here until I send you out, Jiraiya," she said firmly.

"I'm not going to let him get away again, Tsunade," Jiraiya growled. "He's done too much damage; ruined too many lives."

"You go out there and things will only get worse," Tsunade said. "You and Orochimaru are like two teenagers in a pissing contest. Somehow Manda and Gamabunta will be summoned, and half the village will end up destroyed before the two of you are through!"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off as two shinobi teleported in.

"Hokage-sama!" Neji said, his normal monotone voice now sounding nearly frantic.

Tsunade felt her stomach drop as she saw a limp Hinata cradled in his arms; a deep wound through her abdomen.

It was only when she heard Sakura gasp, "Sasuke!" did she notice her Anbu captain's unmoving form hefted over Shikamaru's shoulder. He was covered in blood.

Twenty-five. The both of them. Tsunade had seen too many young people lose their lives to war and battles. Her jaw clenched in determination. These two would _not_ be added to that list.

"Sakura, see to Hinata. Shizune, help me."

* * *

Naruto skidded to a stop mid-charge when a cloaked figure abruptly appeared in his path. The Sound ninja he'd been running at immediately backed away, disappearing into the battle, and leaving Naruto to face the mystery shinobi. 

"Uzumaki Naruto." The voice that issued from the depths of the hood was soft and melodious—definitely a woman.

"Yes," Naruto answered, knowing better than to drop his guard.

"I have to kill you, Naruto-kun," the woman said. "It won't take long." Naruto couldn't see the face hidden within the cloak, but her tone was more than confident.

"And you are?" Naruto asked.

"I am Kimi of the Sound Four. Guard of the East Gate," she said, pulling the hood of her cloak down and shaking her head to release her long raven locks from captivity. She was young, possibly his age.

So, Orochimaru had gotten himself some new guards to replace the ones his friends had killed and, judging by the power radiating from the small woman, the snake bastard had upgraded.

Naruto had lived most of his life on instinct, and every fiber of his being was screaming at him that fighting this woman without any chakra was a terrible idea.

It wasn't until he saw several flying weapons stop in midair and fall to the ground that Naruto realized he had absolutely no choice. She had placed a barrier around them, not only keeping interferences out, but also keeping him in.

Outside the barrier, a ninja was shoved backwards as he blocked a blow with a sword. His back hit the barrier, and Naruto and Kimi watched as his clothes were suddenly set aflame. The man jerked forward with a scream that seemed inhuman, running in a panic through the battle as flames consumed him.

That…wasn't good.

The barrier had left them with a small square of space to fight in, and he made certain to pay close attention to its location. It wouldn't do to dodge something and run into it.

Kimi unclasped the cloak from under her chin and tossed it to the ground, revealing quite a bit of skin, some fishnet, and an extremely short skirt. Naruto's attention was drawn to her hip, where a long metal chain hung coiled, two round weights on each end dangling against her thigh. A type of Manriki Gusari. Although they lacked sharp surfaces, if used correctly they were still quite deadly.

She unfastened the weapon, holding the coiled chain in one hand and using the other to begin spinning a weighted end. Kimi certainly wasn't one for small talk.

She raised her arm, the large metal weight now revolving above her head. One wrong move, and she'd probably knock herself out, but Naruto was certain he wouldn't be so lucky.

With a flick of her wrist, the weight came barreling towards him, chain gliding easily through her fingers. If the metal ball made contact it would probably smash his face in—best case scenario. He spun out of the way, making certain to keep his eyes on the weight as it rushed by him, so Kimi couldn't strike him from behind when she pulled it back.

Naruto felt the breeze along his face as the weapon returned to its wielder. Kimi pulled the weight back right into a spin. Despite the noise on the battle outside of the barrier, he could hear the steady _whoosh_ of the heavy metal ball slicing through the air. Keeping his eyes on Kimi, he felt in his weapon holsters for something that could help him, coming up with only half a dozen shuriken, several kunai, and a few exploding tags that would serve no purpose except blowing them both up in their small chakra arena.

Kimi began twirling the other end of the Manriki Gusari, the second weight now spinning at her side.

Staying at a distance put her at an advantage, but getting in close would be impossible. She had a weight for offense and another for defense. If he had a free range of movement it would be different, but when he had to concern himself with not only being hit, but also with being incinerated by the walls of her barrier…

He was in trouble.

The weight was released again, sailing slightly lower this time. Kimi aimed it well, sending it on a slant. He couldn't dodge left or he'd be hit square in the chest, and he couldn't go right since a wall of the barrier was no more than a foot from him. Down would place his head in perfect smashing position, and up would force him into contact with the relatively low ceiling of the barrier.

The ball hit him in the upper arm, and he bit back a scream as he felt his shoulder roughly dislocate from its socket, muscles and tendons ripping at the mistreatment. He had no time to worry about the injury, though, as she was pulling the weight back to her and he barely managed to avoid its second pass – as well as the barrier wall.

Kimi didn't pause after the first hit, quickly sending the second weight out while Naruto was distracted with the return trip of the first.

Naruto's breath was pushed roughly from his lungs as the second weight slammed into his stomach, breaking a few ribs in the process. He was shoved backwards by the force, heading fast towards the back wall of the barrier.

Using his good arm, he grabbed hold of the chain, wrapping it around his arm and pulling. Kimi's arm jerked forward as he used the length of chain to stop his momentum before he could hit the wall.

Kimi yanked the chain, pulling him forward and ripping her weapon from his grasp. She'd begun spinning the other weight when he had been hit, and now that it once again had momentum, she used it. This one had been thrown like a lasso, and it circled around Naruto's neck.

"You are a real pushover without chakra," she stated.

Naruto's usable hand flew to the chain around his neck, ineffectively trying to stop it from choking him to death.

With a sharp tug, Kimi pulled Naruto forward, causing him to lose balance and fall to his knees. She twisted the chain around her hand, tightening it, and almost fully cutting off Naruto's supply of oxygen.

He reached for a kunai, something to throw at her to distract her, and, hopefully, allow him to loosen the chain from around his throat. Kimi caught his movement and twisted her body, raising her leg and stomping on the chain, pulling it down from midair to the ground. Naruto had no choice but to follow the chain's path, landing face first in the dirt as the metal around his neck nearly crushed his windpipe.

The corners of his vision were starting to darken. Naruto's consciousness was beginning to slip when he heard it. His blood ran cold. Laughter. Amused, but mocking. Then, a voice that he thought had been silenced with the Five Point Seal spoke in his mind:

_"Are you done playing around, kit?"_

* * *

_"Dobe, get out of the way," Sasuke said, glaring down at the young blond who was sprawled out in the middle of the training grounds. _

_A sliver of blue peeked up at him as Naruto's eyes cracked open just slightly. _

_"Who invited you here, Sasuke-teme?" the genin asked, making no move to get up and out of his way. _

_"Nobody invited me, moron, I came to train." _

_"So did I," Naruto responded. "And I was here first." _

_Sasuke crossed his arms. "Lying like a useless lump on the ground isn't 'training.'" _

_"I'm taking a break, jerk." _

_Sasuke took a closer look at Naruto, and realized the boy did look a bit more unkempt than usual. His ridiculous orange jumpsuit was full of dirt, and his blond hair stuck out in more places than usual. _

_"I didn't think you'd be able to drag yourself out of bed this early to do anything productive," Sasuke said with a sneer. _

_Naruto's eyes opened fully to glare up at him, but he didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he lifted his arm into the air, staring at either the back of his hand or the blue sky between his fingers. _

_Sasuke watched him in silence. _

_"I think I'd like to be like Haku," Naruto finally said. _

_"What?" Sasuke said, completely taken aback. _

_Naruto elaborated. "When I was about to kill him—" _

_Sasuke looked sharply down at Naruto. The other boy had never mentioned that he had almost killed Haku. _

_Naruto paused, contemplating his words. "He wasn't scared. When it's time for me to go, I'd like to be like that." _

_"Don't be stupid," Sasuke said. _

_Blue eyes looked up at him in surprise. _

_"Everybody is afraid," Sasuke told him. His head was turned, and he wasn't looking down at Naruto anymore. _

_Naruto sat up, giving him his full attention. "Were you?" _

_The question was asked softly, without any hint of the usual teasing or satisfaction Naruto's voice usually had when he thought Sasuke had a weakness. _

_Sasuke just shrugged. _

_"I was," Naruto admitted. _

_Sasuke's gaze quickly met Naruto's. The blond continued. "When you fell, I thought for sure you…" he trailed off. "Don't do that again, Sasuke, okay? I don't want anyone to do something like that for me." He looked away. "Besides you have goals. You can't throw them away so easily." _

_Sasuke understood that. He was an avenger. He had to stay alive and kill his brother. That was his one goal, his only ambition, and yet, in that fight with Haku, he'd been willing to give that all up to protect Naruto with his life. He still didn't know why. _

_"Would you do it for me?" he asked suddenly. _

_Naruto looked up at him in confusion. _

_"Would you give up your life for mine?" Sasuke didn't know why he was asking him this. _

_Naruto nodded without hesitation. "Nothing's going to happen to you or Sakura-chan while I'm still breathing," he said. "So you can rest easy. I'll protect you." _

_Sasuke snorted. "You're the one who always needs protection, idiot." _

_Naruto scowled before his expression became serious again. "Haku told me that protecting someone is what makes you become truly strong." _

_"Then I guess with the amount of times I have to save your ass, I'll be stronger than Kakashi soon," Sasuke said with a smirk. _

_"I told you. I don't want you to do anything like that anymore." _

_"It works both ways, dobe. You can't say you'll protect me and not let me do the same." _

_"Then why aren't you?" Naruto asked. _

_Sasuke frowned. "What?" _

_"I need your help, but you've left me alone." _

_"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, looking around in confusion. When he looked back at Naruto, the blond boy was gone. In his place sat a red haired man. Naruto as an adult. _

_"You were right, Sasuke," he said as he stared up at the sky. "I am afraid."_

_

* * *

_Sasuke's eyes flew open, and he found his vision obscured by a long ponytail of blond hair. The hair moved when its owner flicked it over her shoulder, to its proper position. Tsunade's face suddenly hovered over his, brown eyes shining in relief. "You're awake." 

Sasuke could feel the hard floor under his back, so it couldn't have been too long since he lost consciousness. They would have moved him to a bed.

"How long?" he asked, making to sit up.

Tsunade pressed a hand to his chest, forcing him to remain still.

"They brought you in about twenty minutes ago. Shizune and I have healed your wounds, but you are in no condition to be moving."

His mind flickered back to his dream. It started out as a real memory, but the ending—

The feeling that something was very wrong began to overtake him. "Where's Naruto?" he asked, looking around in hopes that he would be nearby.

"He's still in battle," Tsunade said, looking away and opting not to tell Sasuke about the extra Sound ninja where Naruto was fighting. She didn't want Sasuke going to the eastern border with Orochimaru being there, especially not after what Shikamaru told her about Sasuke's use of the curse seal. Sasuke wasn't even close to full strength and she was worried that Orochimaru could make use of that.

"I need to help him." Sasuke tried to sit up again, but the Hokage's strength held him securely in place. He shot her a withering glare. "Something is wrong," he said.

"I'm sure he's fine, Sasuke," she told him, not certain at all if that was the truth. "If you go anywhere like this, you are going to end up getting yourself killed."

Sasuke struggled, but he was effectively pinned to the floor. Had he been at full strength, he'd probably be able to get away, but Tsunade was right—he was too weak to move.

His head turned to the side to see Sakura tending to Hinata. The Hyuuga was pale and unconscious, but she looked like she was still breathing. Neji was standing nearby, his unblinking gaze never leaving his cousin.

Sasuke looked up at the ceiling, his unease growing. Something was wrong with Naruto and the "Old Hag," as Naruto referred to her, wouldn't let him go help him.

"You have to let me go to him," Sasuke pleaded.

Tsunade looked down at him in surprise. She had never heard the Uchiha speak like that. He was begging. She opened her mouth to argue, when there was suddenly a huge blast of power from the east. In her surprise, Tsunade pulled her hand from Sasuke's chest, and he took advantage of his freedom to leap to his feet.

"Sasuke!" Tsunade said, grabbing for his arm, but he used the little strength he had left to jump out of her reach.

Before he had a feeling, now he was certain. Naruto was in trouble. He sprinted towards the door, his hands already forming seals to teleport.

Tsunade didn't try to stop him again, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Clasping her hands tightly together she looked out the window towards the east. She knew what Sasuke and everyone else did. That was Kyuubi's chakra.

A hand gently fell on her shoulder. Blinking back tears, she turned to Jiraiya. "Go," she choked out. "You have to stop him."

Jiraiya nodded grimly, beginning his hand seals.

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade said. Her former teammate paused and looked at her. "Tell him I'm sorry."

"He knows, Tsunade."

_

* * *

"Release my chakra, you stupid human." _

_"Not a chance in hell, bastard fox." _

Naruto could feel the chain tightening around his throat and wondered why Kimi didn't just give it a yank, break his neck, and be done with it. She was toying with him.

His breaths were coming in hard rasps, barely able to get any air into his lungs. The chain was pulled tighter.

_"If you do not let me out, you are not going to live,"_ the fox said smugly.

_"I know. And I'm taking you with me." _

_"I **will not** die here with you, human!" _the fox roared inside his mind.

A spasm racked Naruto's body as a huge wave of Kyuubi's chakra surged within him. The Five Point Seal shattered and dread raced through him as fast as Kyuubi's chakra.

No. People. There were too many people!

The little that was left of the fourth's seal began to crack under the sudden extraordinary pressure the fox had placed on it. An image of Kyuubi flashed in his mind, a wicked grin exposing rows of razor teeth. Horror gripped him as he felt his nails and teeth sharpening even as he desperately struggled to gain some semblance of control.

But—after years of fearing this day—there was finally no control left to gain.

There would be no way back this time.

"Sasuke... I'm afraid."

Then he saw nothing but red.

* * *

A/N: Ok, so now comes the time where I apologize profusely for the long wait and then apologize again for the cliffhanger. I promise the next update won't take so long. 

Besides, I have legitimate excuses! Finals, pinkeye (during finals week), huge computer crash (also during finals week), Anime Boston, severe writers block, and ff. net being a jerk really slowed this chapter down. But all is better now.

Just curious: did anybody else go to Anime Boston? It was my first convention experience and I had a blast. Myself and three of my friends dressed up as the four sensei. I was Kurenai (I think I may have been the only one there), and they were Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma. We even found ourselves a Neji and recreated the pose where the jounin all stop Neji from killing Hinata. Yeah, we're geeks, but it was awesome.

One final note. Many thanks, hugs, and kisses go out to Molly, my fabulous beta reader. Keep her in your minds while she edits the previous sixteen chapters for me. o.O


	18. Of Sacrifices

A/N: Okay. I'd like to start this author's note with a brief disclaimer. February. This chapter was done and ready for posting in mid February. You can all blame the wait on aff .net, who decided to break down and then change domains the day I went to post. I'm not going to lie, there were some tears.

I'll take the blame for the eight months before that, but from February on – so not my fault.

I really don't have much of an excuse for the absolutely appalling lateness of this chapter. It started out with writer's block, expanded into a really terrible first draft, turned into a miscommunication between my beta and I and just ended up with me kind of being a lazy asshole and not bothering to harass her into getting it back to me.

Thank you for your patience with me. Or at least your attempts to feign patience. Oh, hell, thanks for the reviews threatening to hunt me down and torture me with sporks as well – they make me laugh really hard, after I put the chain on my door.

Special thanks Bruh Studios for betaing this beast for me, and to Serena, whose daily nagging kept this chapter from being lost to my ever present laziness and apathy which for some reason always wait until the final chapters of fics to strike.

* * *

Temari had been in the midst of blocking weapons while carrying on another verbal spar with Tenten—a pastime she found amusing bordering on enjoyable—when she not only felt but _saw_ a powerful blast of chakra from the east. 

Battles around the north gate slowed, eventually stopping as fighters stood staring at the huge red column of chakra that rose into the sky and disappeared above the clouds.

Temari's brother leapt to the top of the wall to stand beside her. They exchanged worried looks.

"What is _that_?" Tenten asked. She had pulled off her Anbu mask, staring at the chakra with wide eyes.

"Naruto," Kankurou said grimly.

"No," Temari corrected. "Kyuubi."

She leapt from the wall, heading hastily towards the eastern gate, Kankurou only a step behind her.

* * *

Silence had swept through forest outside the eastern wall. The fighting had stopped after red chakra had burst from Naruto along with an agonizing scream that still echoed loudly in Gaara's ears even though it had stopped several minutes ago. 

Naruto had not moved nor made a sound since the scream. He lay face down on the ground and appeared to be unconscious or dead. The chain from the sound ninja he had been fighting was still wrapped around his neck, but she had dropped her end of the weapon when the chakra had violently surged from her opponent.

No one moved closer for fear that another wave of that chakra would rush from the unmoving body.

Gaara had tensed and was waiting, trying to ignore the scream and the nauseous feeling he had as it continuously replayed in his head.

_"Do you ever think about just letting go?"_

The words flashed briefly through Gaara's mind. 'Is he stronger than you, Naruto?' he wondered.

Gaara was not surprised when Naruto's body began to move and, as much as he wanted to be – as much as we wished he could have believed that Naruto would never fail, he was not surprised to see that his friend's eyes were now blood red.

Kyuubi stood slowly, pulling the chain from his neck and tossing it to the ground. He twisted his neck with a crack then began to look around the forest, grinning wildly at all of the people who were staring at him. Some were dumbfounded, the others horrified. With a sudden jerk of his arm his shoulder popped loudly into its joint, having been dislocated during Naruto's earlier fight.

"No one has run in terror yet," Kyuubi said. He licked his lips almost hungrily. "I don't know whether to admire you for your courage or pity you for your stupidity." He spoke with Naruto's voice, but there was a smooth arrogant quality in his tone that Naruto had never possessed. "I've waited so long to destroy this village."

"We will not let you destroy Konoha," a voice spoke up from the crowd. Gaara recognized the speaker as Rock Lee's former sensei. "We will protect it from you just as we did last time. This time you will be destroyed."

Kyuubi laughed and with speeds that were almost impossible to follow he was suddenly in front of Gai. He backhanded the taijutsu specialist before he had a chance to react and the sheer power of the hit sent him tumbling through the air and speeding dangerously towards a tree.

Kakashi sped from his position within the crowd, leaping into the air and catching Gai before he could impact with the tree. Landing easily, Kakashi laid the unconscious man on the ground then stood, staring defiantly at the demon.

Kyuubi growled at the blatant challenge, and his chakra flared up around Naruto's body and stretched out towards Kakashi, who had the presence of mind to grab Gai and get out of the way. Shrill screams began to echo through the forest as those unlucky enough to be caught in the flow of chakra were set ablaze. Chaos erupted as people began to flee in all directions, survival instincts kicking in.

Gaara remained exactly where he was, despite the panicked frenzy all around him. He had made a promise.

The woman Naruto had been fighting earlier was engulfed by the chakra, but she was surprisingly still standing and apparently unharmed. Black lines had begun to wind along her flesh, looking like snakes coiled around her arms. She had activated the curse seal, Gaara realized, and was using that power to maintain a barrier around herself.

Gaara felt Sukaku stir, but for once the demon wasn't trying to get to Kyuubi. He seemed to be trying to distance himself from the indeterminable amount of power now emanating from Naruto's body.

A human's body was not able to handle chakra of that amount.

Gaara slowly walked towards Kyuubi, purposely letting him sense his presence. The demon inside him had caused him nothing but despair and given him only pain since the day he was born, and now he was finally able to use the parasite's presence to help him.

Kyuubi's eyes suddenly met Gaara's. His fangs were bared in a grin and the chakra that had blocked his path dissipated, allowing him to walk unharmed to stand in front of the fox demon.

"Shukaku," Kyuubi said. "Ready for some fun?" He gestured around at the ninjas that were fleeing.

Behind Kyuubi Gaara could see Kimi, who was steadily maintaining her barrier, start to form seals.

_"Promise me, Gaara."_

He made no attempt to correct Kyuubi, allowing the demon to think he was Shukaku if he so wished. He also made no attempt to try and wake Naruto up. His friend wasn't sleeping.

_"Promise what?"_

All he had to do was keep Kyuubi distracted and hope that whatever Kimi was planning would work. If she failed he would stop the demon himself.

_"If something happens tonight, stop Kyuubi."_

_Temari and Kankurou were sitting across the room. Neither spoke. Their brother stood across from Naruto, arms crossed as he quietly regarded the Konoha shinobi._

_Naruto had come to them on behalf of the Hokage to ask them to join the fight against Orochimaru. But he also had a request of his own. "If Kyuubi emerges tonight, it will be for good. Don't try and help me, don't try and get me back. Just kill him."_

_The hotel room was silent save for a deep shuddering breath from his sister._

_Naruto's blue eyes were determined as he met Gaara's stare. "Promise me."_

_Gaara broke eye contact, staring impassively at the floor. He gave a short almost imperceptive nod._

When Kimi finished her seals she had transformed into the second stage of the curse seal. Her nails had lengthened into claws and her skin now had a thick leathery look to it. Pointed ears had emerged between the thick curtain of black hair and her teeth had sharpened into fangs.

Gaara noticed the barrier the same time Kyuubi did.

It surrounded the two of them, giving them no space to move without coming into contact with the lethal sides. Kyuubi roared and Gaara could feel him starting to gather chakra.

It wouldn't work, Gaara realized.

Kimi had already sustained her barrier against the fox's chakra, it was actually powerful enough to withstand Kyuubi's power.

Unfortunately, Naruto's defeat of his desert coffin had shown that his own barrier of sand had a weakness. If Kyuubi let loose his fiery chakra within Kimi's barrier …

This situation was getting drastically out of hand.

As Kyuubi gathered his chakra, Kimi prepared to finish what she started, picking up the Manriki Gusari from the ground. Gaara watched the glow of her chakra as it flowed into the weapon, which began to transform. The metal balls became larger and sprouted several sharp metal points until they resembled two large maces.

"These can maneuver through the barrier, Kyuubi-sama, even though you cannot," Kimi said. "To kill the nine tails fox will be an honor."

Gaara could feel the heat of the chakra emanating from the demon that was once his friend. The slitted red eyes closed as an animalistic howl flew from Naruto's lips. When they opened, Gaara searched them for a trace of Naruto. There were no flashes of purple, not even a spec of blue. Naruto was truly gone.

With a sudden burst of speed Kimi charged, and Kyuubi's chakra flared dangerously. Survival came first for the demon, and even though he wanted someone to help him reap destruction, Gaara doubted that Kyuubi would hesitate to kill him if it meant he would live. He could already feel the heat of Kyuubi's chakra through the armor of sand that caked his body. His normal defense of sand had already begun melting before it could even rise up to protect him.

Kimi was nearly on them, and with Kyuubi unable to move she could actually kill him.

Gaara took one last look at Naruto before closing his eyes. It wasn't his friend, but it was his body. To die fulfilling his promise to Naruto wasn't a bad way to go.

The ground unexpectedly rocked with an explosion; one that couldn't have been caused by Kyuubi—Gaara was still alive.

Kyuubi's chakra suddenly lessened and the barrier was gone. Opening his eyes, Gaara noticed that Kimi was far off, crouched low to the ground and panting heavily. The explosion had apparently been caused by a kunai with an exploding tag that had been thrown in Kimi's path.

"I thought I told you to go home, Kimi," a voice called from the eastern wall. Uchiha Sasuke stood on top of the wall, kunai in hand and Sharingan spinning wildly.

"I was hoping this one would run," Kyuubi said. There was a manic gleam in his eyes as he stared at the dark haired shinobi. "The hunt is half the fun." He flexed his clawed fingers and tensed to leap at his prey.

"He saved your life," Gaara said immediately. He knew that it would make no difference to the demon what Sasuke had done, he just wanted to keep Kyuubi's attention on him.

_"Being alone, being incomplete—what you must feel, what your pain must be—I can understand that."_

Kyuubi looked back at him with something akin to amusement. "He was trying to save my ex-host's life. Despite all the brat's warnings he still refuses to believe what is obvious."

"Everyone's allowed to have hope." Gaara's clenched his fists to prevent his hands from shaking in anger.

_But the people who are precious to me, if you hurt them..._

"Hope is for the weak. Those who are strong do not need hope. We simply make what we want come to fruition. Hope is useless, and I will kill all those naive enough to think otherwise," the demon said, turning again towards Sasuke. He paused, staring at the wall of sand that now separated him from his prey.

_And if you try to kill them…_

"…I will stop you." Gaara's eyes flashed dangerously at Kyuubi.

"Shukaku, you should be helping me," Kyuubi said. "Why protect this human trash?"

"I am not Shukaku!" Gaara screamed. The control he'd had on his emotions snapped and grief for the loss of his friend as well as rage at the one who killed him consumed him. He raised his arm high above his head. "And since you are no longer Naruto…"

The few ninjas who had not run away watched in shocked awe as a huge tornado of sand rose up behind him, towering precariously. Gaara's arm came down and the pillar dove at Kyuubi, sand flying at incredible speeds.

The demon simply allowed his chakra to flare up to temperatures so high that the sand was burnt out of existence before it had a chance to hit him.

The flow of chakra from the fox didn't stop however. Gaara could feel the anger radiating from Kyuubi.

It didn't matter that Gaara and Shukaku were not the same. In the fox's eyes, Shukaku had just attacked him with the intent to kill. Whatever connection the two demons had was now insignificant. Kyuubi was going to try to destroy him.

Gaara felt Sukaku cowering within him at Kyuubi's immense power._"Give me your help or we're going to die," _he thought to the demon. He had never done this before—trying to talk to Shukaku. He used to just go to sleep and let the raccoon handle it, but he had not resorted to that since his fight with Naruto, and he didn't plan to start now.

Sukaku gave him no answer, trying to hide deeper within his host. Gaara lost what little patience he'd had._"Weak."_ It was an accusation, pure and simple.

Gaara could almost feel the demon growl within him. Sukaku snapped out of his fear and a rush of power surged through him. For once in his life the demon was cooperating.

* * *

Orochimaru was in a bit of a bind. On the one hand he was in the middle of a giant-scale attack. On the other, half of his forces were dead and the other half had run away screaming like little freaking girls. It also seemed as though Kyuubi was now in complete control of Naruto, and the fox demon _had_ threatened to eat him last they spoke. 

He decided to wait and see whether or not Kimi's signature move, which had been dubbed the "Bind and Butcher" by her three teammates, would actually work on the demon before making his fight or flight decision. When Sasuke appeared at the battle, purple energy swirling dangerously around him as he prevented Kimi from finishing her move, he figured he could spare a few more minutes.

Orochimaru's face twisted into a grin at the sight of his former body. He may have removed him from control of his mind, but Sasuke would never be free of Orochimaru. The curse seal was permanent, and every time he relied on that power his life span shortened. That much power was hard on the body, each use destroyed him a little more. The knowledge made the loss of his body a little more bearable.

Orochimaru took toll of the situation. Sasuke was standing rigidly on the wall, apparently doing nothing (though Orochimaru knew better), and the two demons appeared to be gearing up for a fight. Now would be a good time to make his quiet escape.

"Running away, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya's rough voice asked from behind him.

Nothing was going to plan tonight.

"Not that you're known for your intelligence, Jiraiya, but don't you think it would have been smarter to stay away from the area the newly released demon is terrorizing?"

"No demon is worse than you are," Jiraiya said.

Orochimaru turned to face him; Kabuto's lips curled into a wicked smirk. "You flatter me."

Jiraiya fixed him with a heavy glare. "This time we're going to end this."

* * *

Upon realizing the implications of Temari's words, Tenten had followed the sand siblings to the eastern gate. 

They landed on the wall, and Tenten found herself standing next to her Anbu captain. "Uchiha-san?" she said. Something felt wrong.

Sasuke was silent and still, staring down at someone on the ground. He made no sign that he heard her at all. Purple energy was swirling slowly around him and although he wasn't wearing his mask, long black bangs obstructed his face from view.

Unease settled in her stomach, as a memory from her childhood suddenly resurfaced. Finding Lee beaten and unconscious while Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji tried with little success to fight off three Sound nins. Sasuke suddenly appearing with this same purple energy swirling around him, a manic smile on his face and bloodlust in his eyes as he nearly ripped one of the ninja's arms off with his bare hands.

"Uchiha-san?" she asked again, hesitantly.

With speed that frightened her, the Sharingan was locked on her, staring at his subordinate with no recognition. Wavy black lines stretched across the left half of his face. She took a step backwards. He looked like he might snap her neck on a whim.

His lips twisted into an unnerving grin and she stood frozen as he slowly reached behind him and unsheathed his katana.

Then he was gone. Blinking, Tenten stared at the empty space next to her, before looking down to see Sasuke running with amazing speed towards a figure below them.

* * *

Kill. 

That's what Sasuke was going to do. And it was going to be fun. Rip her apart until she was bleeding everywhere and hopefully crying, because it would be even better if she cried. It would be slow of course, so she wouldn't die right away, because then his fun would be cut short. Start with an arm maybe, so she couldn't swing those big maces anymore but only one arm, because it would be too easy if she didn't have some form of defense.

She didn't look afraid, and that wouldn't do, he wanted her to scream and cry and she should be afraid for that to happen.

Leapt into the air and BAM the sword never even hit her. He forgot about her barriers. He needed more power to break through them. She was swinging her mace weapon now. He felt the crawly sensation as the curse seal slid over more of his body. More power.

"Sasuke!"

Who was that?

A tall man with spiky white hair appeared in front of him, and a jolt of recognition shot through him. He should know him.

"Sasuke," he said again, and a word slid into his crowded mind. Kakashi.

His former sensei was covered in blood from the battle, though very little of it appeared to be his own. Both eyes were uncovered and fixed on him.

Behind him was Kimi. She was the one he wanted to kill, to make scream. "Get out of the way, Kakashi," he said, raising his katana in a ready position.

"Sasuke, you need to get control of yourself. Stop using the curse seal."

"I have control."

"Then why are you blindly fighting Kimi? Didn't you come here for Naruto?"

Naruto? He lowered his katana. Naruto.

He came to help Naruto.

The curse seal slowly began to recede back to into the mark on his shoulder. Sasuke shook his head as if to clear it. He hadn't lost control of himself like that since he was first given the seal.

"You shouldn't draw on that power," Kakashi said when the seal was gone.

"Orochimaru doesn't have control over me," Sasuke snapped defensively.

"So why does he continue to allow you to use it? There must be some sort of gain in it for him," Kakashi replied.

Sasuke looked away from Kakashi's piercing gaze. When he looked back to his former teacher his eyes widened. One of Kimi's large metal maces was flying through the air, and before he could do anything it had slammed into Kakashi's back.

Sasuke could only watch in horror as Kakashi, face frozen in a look of surprise, fell forward to give him a clear view of his now mangled back. Kimi pulled the mace back to her, smirking.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke said, moving quickly to the jounin's side and kneeling next to him.

Was he doomed to watch everyone in his life die?

"You haven't called me sensei since you were twelve," a voice spoke from behind him.

The bloodied corpse in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a log in its place.

Relief rushed through him and he turned to see Kakashi standing not far away, eyes crinkled in a smile. "Yo," he said, raising his hand in a short wave.

Sasuke didn't reply, for a surge of power from across the clearing drew his attention.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, taking a step towards the battle that he and Gaara were engaged in.

"No, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "That's Kyuubi."

Angry black eyes turned towards his teacher. "It's Naruto."

Their attention was drawn back to the fight as another flare of red chakra burst from Naruto's body and Gaara dove out of the way, retaliating with a huge wave of sand that rose high into the air. It crashed down towards Naruto and the sand that would have buried him was obliterated by Kyuubi's energy. The rest fell around him, knocking over trees and covering most of the clearing that the two were fighting in, which all other ninjas had cleared out of early in the fight.

"Sasuke, the seal—"

"It's Naruto. He isn't weak. He won't let Kyuubi take over."

"As interesting as all this chatter is," Kimi called to them. "I'm getting bored."

She sent a mace flying at each of them. Sasuke moved to dodge, but before he could Kakashi had tossed several kunai, which pinned the chain of the mace heading towards Sasuke to a nearby tree.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, his eyes never leaving Kimi. "I'll handle her, go help Gaara."

"I'll help Naruto get control," Sasuke said, leaping away before the jounin could protest and leaving him to wonder if he was going to lose two students before the night was over.

* * *

"Gaara!" Temari said when she saw her brother fighting Kyuubi. She made to leap down into the battle, but Kankurou grabbed her by the arm. She whirled on her brother. "We have to help him!" Temari tried wrenching her arm from Kankurou's grasp but he held her fast. 

"Temari! Look at them! We'll just be in the way. This—" Kankurou said, watching the deadly battle below them, "—this is out of our league."

Kyuubi charged Gaara, who immediately erected a wall of sand between them, then flipped away, knowing better than to assume something so feeble would stop the demon. When Kyuubi crashed through the wall, however, he was met with another wall, this one with sharp spikes of sand protruding from it. With the grace of an animal Kyuubi twisted in mid-charge, flipping backwards and out of harms way.

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara turned to see Uchiha Sasuke standing beside him.

"Uchiha, you shouldn't be here."

"Naruto needs help."

There was a long pause as Gaara considered him. "Naruto is dead, Sasuke," he finally said. "No human body can withstand the amount of chakra flowing through him. He is just a container for Kyuubi now."

Sasuke said nothing.

Gaara's head turned quickly towards the wall and he and Sasuke leapt out of the way as Kyuubi came crashing through it. The red chakra had begun to take the shape of the fox around Naruto's body.

Kyuubi caught sight of Sasuke, and Naruto's face broke into a fanged grin. "Even better," he said, speeding towards him.

Another wall of sand flew up to block him, and with a growl he turned and charged Gaara instead.

Gaara's sand was still by Sasuke, and wasn't quick enough to match Kyuubi's speeds and protect him.

"Gaara!" Temari screamed, beginning to sob as she tried desperately to pull herself from her other brother's grip.

Having never had to really dodge anything in his life, Gaara's strength was not speed. He was not fast enough to dodge the thick claw of chakra that slammed into him. It sliced easily through even his sand armor and sent him flying backwards. Gaara slid along the ground and did not stand up again, blood already pooling from the wounds in his chest.

* * *

A large group of ninja appeared with a blonde woman at the eastern gate, taking in the chaos that no normal battle could reach. 

Injured lay all over the battlefield, both from the original fight and from everything that had occurred after that. Kakashi was locked in a fierce battle with a woman who appeared to be a demon, not a human.

Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen, and she was not surprised to see that Jiraiya was also not around.

She watched in horror as Kyuubi landed what may have been a fatal hit on Gaara, before he turned on Sasuke.

"Sakura, go help Gaara!" she said. The pink haired woman beside her nodded once before following her order. "Shizune, take the medical nins and help the wounded." Her assistant was gone in a flash. "Shikamaru, Neji, go help Kakashi."

"Tsunade-sama!" Kiba was running towards her, Akamaru at his feet. "Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru are battling in the woods."

Tsunade clenched her fists. That man would never learn. "They are not my concern. We must stop Kyuubi at all costs."

"But Hokage-sama," Genma said his usual look of disinterest replaced with a frown. "It was all the fourth could do to seal it. What can we do?"

"We can kill him."

"What?" spoke Ino. "How?"

"He is mortal," Tsunade told them. "When he was sealed into Naruto he was bound to that body. The seal is broken and he is in control, but he can never return to his immortal demon body. This Kyuubi can be killed."

"But, Naruto—" Chouji began.

"Is already dead," she said, not looking at any of them. "This is what he wanted. I will respect his final wishes. We will kill Kyuubi."

* * *

Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru were panting when they leapt apart, neither able to land a decisive blow on the other. The surrounding forest was all but destroyed, trees uprooted and some in flames, others sunk deep into a swamp that had been created at one point. 

"Are we done with this game yet?" Orochimaru asked.

"Why is it that Naruto could save Sasuke, but I couldn't save you?" Jiraiya said, voicing the question that he had pondered for years.

"Because Sasuke is weak. His want for companionship overshadows his want for power. Pathetic bonds such as friendship are what make shinobi weak."

"I don't believe that," Jiraiya said. "To fight for someone else—to be willing to die for others—those are qualities of the truly strong. Without bonds of friendship or love, what is there to live for? To die for?"

Orochimaru began to laugh, then raised his arm, allowing at least twenty snakes to fly from his sleeve. Jiraiya dodged, but there were too many and the snakes wrapped around his body, binding him.

"The answer, Jiraiya, is that the truly strong do not die."

Jiraiya, struggled but the snakes only wrapped themselves tighter. "I don't think you've ever really lived," Jiraiya said. Then he grinned.

Orochimaru suddenly found himself unable to move as two thick tongues wrapped themselves tightly around him. "What?"

"You aren't the only one with sneaky animals," Jiraiya said. Two frogs, each almost as tall as they were, moved out from their positions deep in the woods.

Orochimaru watched as Jiraiya struggled again, concentrating all his strength on getting his arms to move. The snakes finally loosened just enough to allow Jiraiya to clap his hands together in a seal. "Togeyomi!"

Jiraiya's hair began to grow, hardening into spikes that began impaling the snakes that were wrapped around him and freeing himself.

"If I can't save you, I will destroy you," Jiraiya said, his hands forming new seals.

Orochimaru recognized the new set of seals Jiraiya's hands were making. "How do you know that Jutsu!" he said, losing his composure for the first time since he'd been tossed from Sasuke's body.

Jiraiya completed the seals and looked up at him, eyes hard and set in determination. "Sandaime was my sensei and Yondaime was my student. Did you really think I wouldn't know it?"

Orochimaru could not see the looming figure behind Jiraiya, but he knew he was there. He began to panic, struggling against his bonds, but the frogs held him fast.

Jiraiya stepped closer, grabbing Orochimaru's shoulders with his hands. "I'm going to finish what Sarutobi-sensei began with your arms."

"This technique will kill you as well!"

"Ironic, no?" Jiraiya said, although his expression didn't look amused. "The only people who can use this jutsu have to be willing to die for others."

* * *

It was when Kyuubi nearly slashed Gaara in half that Sasuke realized Naruto was truly gone. He had been too late. 

He was gone and Sasuke was alone once more.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming feeling of loss, or simply a lack of will to live that kept him from reacting at all when Kyuubi suddenly charged him, but if Kankurou hadn't leapt from the wall and pulled him out of the way, he would have been lying as still on the ground as Gaara was. He would have been in the darkness like Naruto was.

The group of ninjas who had teleported in with the Hokage, all of which, he noted absently, were once Naruto's friends, surrounded Kyuubi, who angrily began attacking.

"Uchiha, snap out of it!" Kankurou said, shaking him roughly. He had pulled the unmoving man away from Kyuubi and over to his siblings. Temari was kneeling next to Gaara, running her hand lightly through his hair and murmuring encouraging words to the unconscious man as Sakura worked frantically to save him. Gaara's blood was all over the ground, staining the grass red, and his breaths were coming in short sharp rasps. "Uchiha, wake up!" Kankurou suddenly yelled at the silent man. The sand nin didn't understand why he was crying.

"Wake the fuck up!" he cried.

Sakura felt her heart begin to ache, wondering if Kankurou was really talking to Sasuke or his brother.

"Sasuke-kun," she choked, holding back the hot tears she could feel welling up behind her eyes and not looking up as she desperately tried to keep Gaara alive. "Don't you leave me too."

Kankurou let go of Sasuke in surprise when the man blinked and looked down at Sakura when she spoke to him, then moved his gaze towards the battle.

Their friends were barely holding their own against Kyuubi. Kiba's arm appeared to have been badly burned by the flaming hot chakra. Shino's bugs were being incinerated before they could do any damage. Lee could only dodge attacks. Blood poured out of a deep gash on Tsunade's arm. Ino had been knocked aside and was unconscious.

_Only you can do it._

"NARUTO!"

The scream echoed throughout the forest and everyone stopped to stare at Sasuke.

Even Kyuubi stopped attacking to see if the man had finally gone crazy.

"I can't kill him by myself!" he yelled. "You have to help me!"

Kyuubi began laughing, flaring his chakra even higher. "You'll never get to me, human."

People could only stare in amazement as Sasuke quickly preformed a set of seals, then gripped his left arm with his right hand. He had to get close enough to touch Kyuubi to use the chidori to any effect. But with that chakra…

"Uchiha, don't!" Kiba cried, cradling his burnt arm. "Are you suicidal?"

Sasuke didn't respond or even raise his head to look at him. The chakra that had gathered in his hand began to chirp, sounding like hundreds of birds talking at once.

Kyuubi suddenly screamed, shocking everyone, for Sasuke had not even moved from his position. Clawed hands gripped his hair and an animalistic howl shook the very ground they stood on.

The red chakra surrounding Kyuubi was pulled back into Naruto's body, which jerked as if he had been hit, and was thrown backwards with the sheer force of it and slid along the grass.

It was silent, as if the world had just been made and no living thing had been placed on it yet.

Then, as everyone watched, he moved, struggling to his feet and forcing himself to remain standing. He opened his eyes, which were blue and warm and fixated only on Sasuke. "There isn't much time. This is all I can do for you, Sasuke," Naruto said. His voice sounded strained as he fought Kyuubi back with all he had left.

Sasuke finally raised his head, revealing the tears in his red eyes. "That's all you have to do, Naruto."

Naruto smiled as Sasuke rushed at him.

It was instant. There was no time for words, no chance for a whispered, "Thank you" or "Goodbye." He felt his hand enter Naruto's chest and immediately the other man slumped forward. Sasuke caught him with his free arm, holding the limp figure steady.

Gently he pulled his hand from his chest, and Sasuke felt his knees buckle. He found himself sitting on the ground with Naruto's body in his arms. A soft smile was still on the dead man's face.


	19. Epilogue: Of Ends and Beginnings

From this height Sasuke could barely see the preparations for the festival. He couldn't hear the music or the kids laughing as they ran through the streets, ducking between booths and playing tag. If anyone in the village glanced up at Hokage Mountain, they wouldn't be surprised to see his silhouette sitting between the spikes of rocky hair. It was where he spent much of his time and no one ever questioned it.

When he had first begun going up there nearly three years ago, many people worried that maybe, just maybe, it was more than even Uchiha Sasuke could recover from and one day they would look up to see that dark hooded form leaping from the mountain.

It never happened though, and his presence up there, like an angel in black Anbu robes looking over the village, eventually became normal, expected even.

"Are you going to join us, Sasuke-kun?" a soft voice spoke from behind him.

He'd known she was there – she hadn't been attempting to sneak up on him. He also wasn't surprised they had sent her to fetch him. "You shouldn't be making this climb in your condition," he chastised lightly.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd choose someplace closer to the ground to be alone," she responded wryly, picking her way around the spikes to stand next to him.

That was the thing about Hinata that had surprised him at first, a dry sense of humor that occasionally peeked through her quiet personality. "That would defeat the whole purpose," he said. The fox mask on his face – the same one from years ago, burnt so half was blackened, the other half white – hid his expression, though if she really wanted to she could activate the Byakugan to see his lips quirking, just slightly.

"True," Hinata said, smiling softly. She was radiant that evening in a white silk kimono that complimented her dark hair and white eyes perfectly.

The fox mask turned to stare back over the village. "Have you and Kiba decided on a name yet?" he asked. "With your eyes you can tell the sex, right?"

Hinata's hand came to rest on her very pregnant belly. "I could, but I deliberately haven't looked. We want to be surprised." She let out a soft laugh. "Of course Neji-nisan already looked. He hates to be caught off guard about anything."

Sasuke shook his head, his smirk hidden by the fox. There was a pause. "If it's a boy… maybe Naruto?" he suggested.

Hinata graced him with a gentle smile. "Kiba and I had considered that," she said. They were the first from the group to have a child, and to name a son after their friend was a way to help him live on. "But we thought perhaps you would like the name for your first born son, Sasuke-kun. I think Naruto-kun would have liked that."

Sasuke imagined Naruto would have found it hysterical. Uchiha Naruto.

He shook his head. "I think you should," he said, finally lifting up the mask to gaze sincerely at her. Red Mangekyou eyes looked into white ones. He didn't say that it was because he never expected to have any children, because he had devoted his life to protecting the village once Naruto died and he had no time for a family. He knew, however, that she had the ability to read people just by looking in their eyes.

"Sasuke…" she said softly.

"I know it would mean a lot to him," he said before she could continue.

Hinata bit her lip, then nodded. "We'd be honored," she said, bowing slightly.

"So would he." He twisted the duotone fox to the side of his head, leaving his own face visible – a rare thing these days. "We should go before Sakura gets up in arms about us being late."

She nodded. Sasuke offered her his arm, helping her maneuver across the uneven rocks.

* * *

"Kiba!" Sakura yelled as the brown haired ninja half danced, half staggered past her.

"What?" he yelled back, causing the rest of the people in the room to flinch. Nobody wanted to hear a screaming match between those two.

"You're drunk!"

"I am not," he said, tripping over nothing. "And even if I was – this is a celebration. Every celebration calls for a bit of inebriation."

Ino appeared behind him, looming menacingly, and from his seat across the room Shikamaru was glad that for once that look wasn't directed at him. "This is a celebration of someone's life, you mutt," she hissed angrily. "Not a bachelor party."

Kiba cowered a bit.

"And what if Sasuke sees you like that?" Sakura said.

"He'll kick your ass," Kankurou piped up, sending a grin at Kiba before downing some sake.

"So you can drink but I can't?" Kiba growled at the sand nin. "And I still say this is a celebration. Acting all depressed every year isn't celebrating anything!"

"It's about respect, Kiba," Ino said.

"I do respect him. He was a damn fine shinobi and a good friend. And he would think this somber gathering of friends was bullshit and you know it." Kiba glared around the room, daring someone to challenge him.

His eyes widened when the redhead standing in the corner with his arms crossed – being about as social as an ex sociopath could be – suddenly straightened and walked a little further into the room. His movements were so smooth that only those who had been there would know he had nearly died from a vicious slash from the Kyuubi three years earlier.

"Naruto hated the quiet." He nodded at Kiba once, silent permission for him to carry on.

Kiba gave a low "whoop" in triumph, starting to sing, joined by Lee, who wasn't drunk, but never liked to miss out on a good song.

Everyone at the get together – the rookie nine, minus three (two of which were on their way from Hokage Mountain), Gai's former team, and their former teachers, the three sand siblings, Iruka, Shizune, and Tsunade herself, all found themselves smiling. Naruto would have preferred a rowdy party; there was no doubt about that.

Every year on the day of the festival they all gathered together in the same place to celebrate. The festival of the village was to celebrate the death of Kyuubi. The small get together of friends celebrated the life of Naruto. They also remembered the life and sacrifice of Jiraiya, who had finally been the one to put an end to Orochimaru.

The idea of the get together had been Sakura's. Everyone had immediately agreed.

Sasuke, however, had become an almost silent figure, remaining holed up in the Uchiha compound for nearly half a year after Naruto's death, coming out only for missions and necessities. So when Sakura had gone to see him about the idea she had been shocked when he had simply given a nod and told her she could have it at one of the large empty houses of the compound.

Sakura glanced around, feeling warmed by the fact everyone was together. "Kiba! Get off the table!" Warm feeling gone.

The rest of the group watched her storm across the room in amusement, though that disappeared when a soft voice said, "Kiba-kun, you're going to give Sakura-chan a heart attack."

Hinata stood in the doorway, her lips curled into a little smile. Behind her was Sasuke, his expression stony. Sasuke did not have much of a sense of humor, and none of them thought that his patience was very great on this particular day.

There was a long pause as they awaited his reaction, and Kiba stood frozen on his table.

Finally, he spoke.

"It's not too late to run away with me, Hinata."

Another long pause followed this, broken by Kiba screeching, "What!" and toppling off the table. Sasuke smirked, and a few jaws dropped around the room as they realized that Uchiha Sasuke had just made a joke.

* * *

Sasuke slipped out of the house. His absence would be unnoticed for a while, and when they did realize, no one would look for him. This day was hard for him – they all knew and respected that. He put in an appearance because Naruto would have wanted him to. Because the blonde had never wanted him to be alone. It was how Naruto had lived almost his whole life.

So, he tried, for him. But crowds eventually got to be too much – especially happy ones. He could almost see Naruto among them all, laughing happily and at the center of attention.

He found himself back at Hokage Mountain, not on top, but looking up at it. He could make out the sounds of the festival from here. Laughter, music.

"I'm trying, Naruto," he said, pushing down his hood and pulling off the fox mask as he looked up at the stone face of the Rokudaime. They'd carved him into the mountain not long after he'd died, and whiskered cheeks had beamed down on the village ever since. When Sasuke needed perspective or wanted to be alone he sat in the rocky spikes of his hair, knowing how amazed Naruto would have been to see his big goofy face up there with the other Hokages.

Turning, he looked towards the village, then towards the Uchiha compound where the party was still going.

"I'll keep protecting them for you. It's all you ever really wanted. And it's all I could ever really do for you." He looked back up to the monument. "You keep watching and I'll make you proud."

Sasuke slid the mask back on. That was how they'd both keep living. Naruto through Sasuke, and Sasuke for Naruto.

It was all he could do.

He cast one final glance at the monument before turning, making his way back to the Uchiha compound. They'd be surprised that he came back this year.

* * *

A/N: Well friends, that's it. I can't believe I actually finished it. I apologize for it taking so long. Sometimes you spend so long on a project you have to set it aside for a while, then randomly one day you tear apart your entire room for the notebook you've managed to lose, then sit down and finish. I'm aware it's short, but it's an epilogue.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for all of the wonderful feedback, the professions of love, the hate mail for taking so long, the fanart, and everything in between. I loved writing this, and I can't tell you how happy I am that so many of you enjoyed reading it.

Hugs and kisses to everyone!**  
**


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